Missing Crystals
by M.H. Torringjan
Summary: After Rubeus has been defeated, the Senshi must go on a quest across the globe to find everyone's magic crystals. Reviews are appreciated!
1. A New Story

Yeah, I'm back at this one project. I've tried starting it up a couple of   
times before, but it fizzled. And I guess this makes four projects that I'm   
working on right now. Well, I guess that means I've got something to do for   
every mood that I can be in.  
Anyway, I was looking over the predecessor to this series, my "Shadows of   
the Past" series (hopefully to be posted before I get this up; Geocities/Yahoo's   
been having some problems recently), and I realized that there were many more   
holes in it than I had realized before. As I was editing to try to put it up, I   
tried to repair as many as I could. It's messy. I promise, this series will   
have many fewer of the like. Mostly youthful naivite working against me.  
No clue how long it'll be, or what all will happen.  
Anyway, I don't own Sailor Moon. That honor belongs to Naoko Takeuchi. I   
did create Michael Cross and Jennifer Hino (I had no problems characterizing   
them!). My E-mail is jmh6187@uncwil.edu, so just try reaching me there if you   
have any complaints/comments. Other than that, enjoy the series. I suppose   
that this is some sort of alternate universe from the real SM plot (hey, if   
Tenchi can do it, then so can I!)  
  
Missing Crystals  
A Sailor Moon Original Flavor Fanfic  
By: M.H. Torringjan  
  
Part 1: A New Start  
  
Raye Hino awoke around about 10:00. She wasn't worried, though. It was a   
Saturday, so she wouldn't have to worry about school. Too bad she wouldn't be   
able to cook for the Tsukinos. She wasn't too happy about that, since that was   
one of the few things that she could do in return for their kindness. Mrs.   
Tsukino took care of most of the house-work, and made Serena, Rini, or Sammy do   
the rest. Well, she wouldn't be imposing upon them for much longer. The Temple   
was going to re-open that day, and she was going to return home.  
Grandpa had lived with Chad since the Super Shadow Warrior incident, and   
had spent most of his time overseeing the reconstruction of the Temple. She had   
gone to school, and Chad had worked at the arcade. Her mother, Jennifer, had   
worked there, as well, trying to keep herself busy and find out as much as she   
could about what had happened to the world during the past ten years while she   
had been dead.  
Raye lay in bed, staring at the ceiling for a while, trying to come up   
with ideas of how to get her mother into the Temple without Grandpa asking too   
many questions. The smells from Mrs. Tsukino's bacon and omelets, however,   
dragged her from the couch-bed and into the kitchen. She sat down next to   
Serena's father, awaiting a plate.   
"Well, Mrs. Tsukino, I'd like to thank you for your hospitality over the   
past month," Raye said.  
"What's this, Raye?" Serena's mother asked.  
"The Temple's going to be completed today, so everyone's moving back into   
it," Raye replied.  
"Well, it's been nice having you here for all this time," Mrs. Tsukino   
said. "It was nice to have another helping hand around the house! If you ever   
need anything like this again, just ask us. We'll be glad to help!"  
"Thank you, Mrs. Tsukino," Raye said. "And you, too, Mr. Tsukino."  
"Of course! Any time," Serena's father said. Serena walked in and sat   
down, yawning widely, across from Raye. Her hair was let down and brushed,   
disguising her violent sleeping tendencies. Her eyes were only half open, since   
she had only woken up a little bit earlier.  
"What's going on, Raye?" she asked.  
"I'm leaving later on today to go back to the temple," Raye replied.  
"Oh, really? All right, then, I'll help you," Serena said as she and Raye   
were handed plates. She dug hungrily into her cheese and mushroom omelet. Raye   
ate her breakfast much more calmly than Serena. She thought it such a waste to   
eat so quickly. She wondered if Serena even tasted the food.  
  
Michael typed away at his computer, trying to think of a plot for his new   
story. He was trying to write a story to put on his web-page. Well, when he   
got something like a web-page. He wanted to start a vault of some sort on the   
internet, like ones that he had visited at home.  
He stopped typing and leaned back in his computer chair. He thought to   
the past month. His birthday present for Mina had gone over very well. His   
parents had taken the loss of Rigel surprisingly well. He had only had to tell   
them that he had gotten run over by a truck, and that he had buried Rigel, to   
save them the trouble and grief. He had fashioned a fake grave to show them,   
and that was that. They still hadn't gotten around to cleaning up Rigel's   
stuff. He got tired of trying to deal with his writer's block, so he decided to   
clean it up and put it away.  
As he picked up the pad of Rigel's bed (which Rigel never used), he   
noticed a small disk that looked like something that would fit in Amy's   
computer. He had never seen it before, but then again, Rigel had never let   
Michael even touch his bed. He decided that he'd show it to Amy later, since it   
wouldn't fit in his own computer.  
He had been given his communicator recently, so he decided to put it to   
use. He called Amy and asked her to meet him later so that they could figure   
out the disk's purpose.  
  
Lita made breakfast, ham and scrambled eggs, while Jennifer took a shower.   
She didn't have much left to cook, so she'd have to go to the store to stock up.   
As she turned off the oven and placed their food on plates, she heard someone   
knock on the door. She opened the door and let Serena and Raye enter.  
"Hi, guys! What's up?" she asks.  
"We're going back to the Temple," Raye says.  
"Are you sure?" Jennifer asks, emerging from the bathroom, wearing some of   
the clothes that she bought with one of her paychecks. "Isn't it a bit crowded   
around there? I mean, I'm sure that some problems would come up."  
"But Mom, I thought that you were going to be coming to live with me when   
we could get back in the Temple," Raye began.  
"Raye, I think that it'd work better if I just stayed here with Lita,"   
Jennifer said. "It'd raise too many questions when your grandpa figured it out.   
And besides it, I'm enjoying staying here with Lita." Raye gaped for a few   
moments. "And, it's not like you won't be able to see me." She paused   
uncomfortably. "Could you come with me for a moment?" she asked, leading Raye   
into the bedroom.  
"Mom, you promised me that you'd come back to the Temple," Raye said.  
"Raye, this really is the most rational decision," Jennifer said. "And   
you can see me any time you want. Besides, haven't you been spending more time   
over here than at Serena's house?"  
"Okay, I guess you're right, but-" Raye said, standing up to go back.  
"Really, you can still come to visit me. Lita loves having you over,"   
Jennifer said, stopping Raye from storming out. Raye looked back at her for a   
moment sadly, before going back into the living room. Jennifer wondered if she   
had handled that the right way. She hated having to get a late start on   
learning to raise her daughter. A month hadn't told her enough. She looked at   
the mirror, at the troubled, tired face that looked back.  
Back in the living room, Raye picked up her suitcase and walked out.   
"Wonder what happened in there?" Serena said as the two stood up to go after   
Raye. They caught up to her halfway down the stairs.  
"Hey, Raye!" Lita said, catching up to Raye. "You all right?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine," Raye replied, holding on to her suitcase tightly, as if   
she was going to run at any moment. "I know she's right. It's just that I want   
so much to be with her. When she said that she'd move into the Temple, it made   
me happy that I'd have her back, and that she'd be living with me, like when I   
was younger. And I guess that having that taken away from me wasn't what I   
wanted to happen. I'll be okay, though. It'll be like the past, except that I   
can come see her."  
"Well, that's a nice way to take it," Lita said. "Sure you don't want any   
food?" She asked even though she didn't have anything else to cook at the   
moment.  
"Sure! I'd love some food!" Serena exclaimed.  
"No, I already ate," Raye said.  
"Well, aren't I taking you home?" Serena asked, slightly puzzled.  
"I'll be alright," Raye said, continuing down the stairs. Serena shrugged   
and walked back up the stairs to Lita's apartment. Lita watched Raye walk down   
the street alone. She shivered for a moment. She disliked winter, or at least   
being out during winter without a jacket. She walked back in to find Serena   
eating her scrambled eggs. She was talking to Jennifer, who looked slightly   
depressed.  
  
Michael sat at the table in the snack shop, waiting for Amy to arrive. A   
cloud passed over the sun, giving Michael's eyes a rest. He liked the window   
seat, so that he could look out the window. It was almost like watching an   
aquarium. Well, a terrarium, anyway. He took off his coat, it was very warm in   
the snack shop. The lights were dimmer than usual. He looked over at the ice   
cream bar. A cute girl was sitting at one of the seats, eating a cookie-dough   
ice-cream sundae.  
Michael watched her for a while, out of the corner of his eye. He knew   
that Amy would be getting there soon, and he doubted that she'd like to catch   
him looking at other girls. He wished that he could help it, but he'd just been   
alone for too long to be able to stop it.  
"Hey, Michael!" Amy said from behind Michael, giving him a start.  
"Hi, Amy!" he replied.  
"You okay?" Amy asked. "You looked like you were spacing out for a minute   
there."  
"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking," he replied, taking the disk out of   
his pocket. "Take a look at this disk. I found it when I was finally cleaning   
up Rigel's stuff."  
Amy opened up her computer and turned it on. She slipped the disk into   
the slot on the left side. As she started it up, the waitress brought Michael's   
order. He had bought an ice cream sundae for him and an Italian soda. He took   
the two items from the waitress and flashed her a quick smile before she walked   
away. He didn't think she'd noticed. Probably better, he thought to himself.   
She walked away as Amy began running the program.  
"Here you go, Amy. I got this for you," Michael said, handing her the   
Italian soda. She took it and set it on the other side of the computer at a   
distance where it wouldn't spill.  
"Hello, Scouts!" the computer said in a familiar voice. Michael gave a   
start when he realized that it was Rigel's voice speaking to them.  
"Whoah! What's going on there?!" Michael asked, crowding Amy to see the   
screen.  
"Well, if you're listening to this, then something must have happened to   
me," Rigel said from the computer. "Well, as you can probably guess, our next   
job is to go and retrieve the crystals to power us up. This program was sent to   
me near the end of our last mission, and it contains the last-known positions of   
the crystals. They should be in the same place as they were no matter how long   
ago it was. I would imagine that some sort of evil force will be seeking them,   
as well.  
"The easiest crystal to get will be the one that I held for a long time:   
Michael's. I didn't feel that Michael was ready for the awesome power of the   
crystal. What I've seen recently has not made me change my mind. However, we   
need to collect the crystals as quickly as we can. I would advise you to go for   
the others first, but it is your choice. You should do well enough without me,   
as long as you try to remember the little amount that I was able to tell you.   
And Artemis, don't try anything with Luna."  
After the recording ended and the program began, Michael said, "I wonder   
if we can run that recording again."  
"I hope so," Amy said, typing away at the keyboard. "Luna would probably   
need to see this."  
"I'd love to see Artemis and her reaction to that last bit," Michael said,   
grinning. Amy leveled a glance at him. The grin remained on his face as he   
returned the glance. She closed the computer.  
"Let's go," she said, shaking her head slightly. "Pay for the food. I'll   
call the others to get them to meet us."  
Michael walked to the register, only to meet the waitress and the cute   
girl from the ice cream bar. He had to get on with it. He placed more money   
than they needed on the desk and told the waitress to keep the change, flashing   
another smile at her. His communicator went off, and he ignored it. He joined   
Amy outside, where she was in the middle of the communication.  
"Where can we meet, everyone?" she asked.  
"We can meet at the Temple," Raye answered over the slightly static   
communicator.  
"All right, we'll be there soon!" Amy answered before the others, turning   
off the communicator. "Let's get a bus. It's faster than walking."  
  
Raye had her broom, cleaning up after the construction. A thick layer of   
dust had been left behind when the machines and workers left. She wore a mask   
so that she wouldn't cough her lungs up. She didn't wear a coat, but the work   
warmed her up. The leaves that she usually swept up were not present to keep   
the dust down. The trees had been uprooted in the droid battle that had wrecked   
the Temple. She'd need a shower after this. Well, first, she'd get the meeting   
over with.  
Chad was back to his training on their first day back. She almost envied   
him for not having to help her sweep up. She wondered when the others would be   
getting there to save her for a while. She wondered what the meeting would be   
about. They hadn't had a mission for a while, so it must have been something   
important. Probably the thing about the others' crystals. Luna and Artemis had   
been saying for a while that they'd have to take care of that unfinished   
business. She wondered where they'd find the crystals. Everything usually   
seemed to come to them, almost like a charm.  
Raye propped her broom against the wall while she went inside for a drink.   
She'd give her job a rest until after the meeting. She wandered around the   
halls of the new Temple, trying to find her room or the kitchen again. They had   
used a different plan to build the Temple, and she hadn't found her way around   
it yet. She walked into the bathroom first, followed closely by Grandpa's room.   
The shades were opened, letting light shine in. She didn't understand why he   
got a heart-shaped bed for that room. She didn't even want to think about it.   
She just walked along the dim hallways, searching for either of her desired   
destinations. It would be another week before the electrician returned to   
install lights.  
She arrived at the kitchen first and poured a glass of water. She walked   
back out of the kitchen and tried finding her own room one more time. She   
didn't have much more time before she was sure the others would be there. She   
slid another door open and walked into her room. "Good luck," she thought to   
herself. She grabbed her jacket and followed her path back outside. When she   
emerged into the daylight, Serena, Lita, and Mina were already waiting for her   
in the courtyard, near the entryway posts.  
"Hey, guys!" Raye exclaimed as she walked up to the others. "What's the   
meeting about?"  
"Darned if I know," Lita said. "I just got the call, same as you guys."  
"I was thinking that it might be about the crystals," Raye commented. "I   
mean, after all, I've gotten mine, and we still haven't gotten you guys yours."  
"Makes sense," Mina said. "I wonder where Michael is. I have to talk to   
him."  
"Well, he'll be here for the meeting," Raye said, sitting down with her   
back against one of the posts. Lita liked that idea and took the opposite post.   
Luna and Artemis ran up the steps together, coming to a stop at Serena's feet.  
"Is everybody here?" Artemis asked.  
"Not yet. Amy and Michael are missing," Mina replied, sitting down on one   
of the steps. Michael and Amy walked around the corner at that moment, chatting   
about something that Mina couldn't make out. Amy laughed in her usual way.   
Mina wondered what they were talking about. Michael waved his arms around   
wildly for a moment. She knew that he was joking around with her. He was such   
good friends with Amy. She wondered how that could have happened so quickly.   
She didn't even-But anyway. There were bigger things to worry about right then.   
Amy and Michael reached the top of the stairs and stood on the step just below   
Mina.  
"Okay, Amy, what's this all about?" Luna asked, laying down for Amy's   
meeting.  
"All right, everybody, you know how we need to find everyone's crystals?"   
Amy asked. Everyone nodded. "Well, Michael found something important while he   
was cleaning up Rigel's stuff this morning. Let me show you." She turned on   
her computer and placed the disk inside it. She replayed the recording for   
everyone to see. Michael payed special attention to Artemis and Luna's reaction   
to the end of the recording. Luna blushed as Artemis glared angrily at the   
computer.  
"Okay, everyone," Luna began after the recording had ended, "I guess that   
we're on our next mission from here on out."  
"Yeah," Artemis agreed. "So, where are these crystals located, anyway?"  
Amy clicked some keys on her keyboard. "Well, one was located with   
Jennifer Hino. Another is located in New York, New York, at Michael's old home,   
a small house in one of the suburbs. The others are located around the world in   
various places. Luna, I've got some bad news. They're in some big places for   
these others to get lost. London, Paris, Nassau, and Chicago."  
"Oh, great," Artemis said, "And we won't even be able to be there. Amy,   
you're going to have to play babysitter while you're away."  
"I hope you girls and Michael realize that you'll have work to do while   
you're there," Luna said sternly. "You won't have much time for sight-seeing or   
for fun."  
"But we will have *some* time for that, right?" Serena asked hopefully.  
Luna sighed. "We'll see what we can do. First, we've got to figure out   
how to get to all those places. We've got to figure out how to get out of   
school, not worry your parents, and all that. This may be a bit difficult. I   
say that we should come back here tomorrow, after Artemis and I have had a while   
to think about this."  
"Sure, that's what they call it," Michael said, smirking. Luna just shook   
her head and walked away with Artemis in close tow.  
"So, see everybody tomorrow?" Lita said, standing up. Serena and Raye   
stood up with her.  
"Hey, can I get a warm drink before I head home?" Serena asked.  
"Me, too?" Lita asked.  
"Sure, you two. Just follow me in," Raye said. The three moved towards   
the Temple. Raye hoped that she could lead them back to the kitchen.  
"Michael, I need to talk to you," Mina said.  
"Sure, Mina," Michael replied. "What you need?"  
"Can we go over here?" she asked, walking over to one corner of the   
courtyard. Amy waited as Michael and Mina went to talk.  
"What do ya' need?" Michael asked Mina, smiling warmly. He seemed as if   
he was going to reach for her hand.  
"Well, Michael, I've been thinking over the past month, and I've come to   
the decision," Mina began. She looked at his face, innocent and happy. He had   
no idea what she was about to say. Probably better, for his sake. She wondered   
if this was the best thing for her to do. She really didn't know why she didn't   
feel anything. She hadn't felt anything for the whole month, when it came to   
Michael. She saw Serena, and how Serena felt towards Darien. Then again, maybe   
that wasn't the best example. Then again, it was the only example that she   
could think of.  
"Yes? What decision, Mina?" Michael asked. Mina had been quiet for   
longer than she had expected.  
"Well, I don't think that we should go out anymore," Mina said. She had   
expected Michael to break down or something. He only stood there for a moment,   
looking shocked. Almost immediately, he regained his composure from before her   
statement.  
"So, you're pulling a Darien on me, are you?" Michael commented with a   
whole-hearted smile. "That's cool! Whatever you want. I mean, I'll do   
whatever you want to be happy."  
"Well, you seem to be taking this fairly well," she commented. "I would   
have expected a bit more than this."  
"No, not really. Doesn't surprise me, as such," Michael responded. "Just   
tell me, what happened?"  
"Nothing," she said. She elaborated for Michael; he had a confused look   
on his face. "Nothing happened at all in my mind. No matter what the rest of   
them said, nothing."  
"Odd. That was really vague, but it sounds like what happened to me,"   
Michael said. "Or, in this case, what didn't happen to me."  
"So, we're still friends?" Mina asked.  
"Well, we kind of have to be," Michael commented. "We work together. So,   
let's get back there." Mina nodded, and the two rejoined Amy.  
"Well, I've got to get back home," Michael said. He walked to the nearest   
bus stop for a long wait.  
"So, what happened there?" Amy asked.  
"Nothing important," Mina commented. "So, see you tomorrow?"  
"I guess so," Amy said. The two walked home to get some rest before the   
next day, when they'd hopefully make their first move for the crystals.  
  
"Michael, I'm almost afraid to ask if you know the answer to this   
question," Ms. Haruna said. "Just don't go too far into detail, or you'll   
confuse Serena." The bell rang, saving Serena from yet another embarrassment in   
class. Serena, Amy, Michael and Lita walked outside with their books. Serena   
hadn't seen Luna all day. She supposed that Luna had been out working on the   
plan to get them to each of the crystals.  
"Girls!" Luna called from the bushes.  
"Hey!" Michael exclaimed.  
"Sorry, Michael," Luna said sheepishly. "We're getting together at the   
Temple to go for the first crystal."  
"All right! What's the plan?" Serena asked.  
"First, we're getting Michael's crystal," Luna said.  
"Yeah! In your face, Rigel!" Michael exclaimed, grinning. "We sleeping   
over there?"  
"Hardly," Luna said. "You know the time difference. It'll be around the   
middle of the day when we get there. And we'll have to be back before the end   
of the day. We don't want your parents to panic or anything."  
"Then whose?" Serena asked hopefully.  
"Then, we were considering Amy's crystal," Luna replied. "Then, we'd take   
Mina's, Lita's, and Serena's."  
"In that order?" Serena asked. "You're torturing me, aren't you?"  
"Of course, Serena," Michael said. "It's all just a big conspiracy."  
"All right, let's get on with it," Luna said, leading the way to the   
Temple.  
At the Temple, Mina and Raye were already waiting for the others.  
"Everybody ready?" Luna asked. Everyone nodded and transformed.  
"Mercury Star Power!"  
"Mars Power Transformation!"  
"Jupiter Star Power!"  
"Venus Star Power!"  
"Europa Star Power!"  
Oddly enough, there was a pause where Serena was supposed to transform.  
"Serena?" Luna asked.  
"Sorry, I forgot my brooch this morning," she replied.  
"Oooooo, what a bubble-brain!" Mars exclaimed as she finished   
transforming.  
"Hey, I'll get it and be right back!" Serena shouted, running in the   
direction of her house. An hour later, she ran back to the other Scouts.  
"Moon Crystal Power!"  
After Serena had finished transforming, they all gathered around to   
teleport. "So, we're going to Michael's old house now?" Venus asked.  
"Yeah, Venus," Mercury commented.  
"Like it matters," Europa commented quietly to himself.  
"Did you say something?" Jupiter asked.  
"No, nothing!" Europa answered. He didn't want them to know anything   
about what had happened between him and Mina. "Let's get this over with   
quickly."  
"Will this still work with Mars in her new form?" Venus asked.  
"It should. It should even be able to take us further, since she's   
stronger," Mercury commented. "That's how we can get all the way around the   
world."  
"All right, so let's get going!" Jupiter exclaimed, grabbing Mercury's   
hand.  
"We'll see you later, and don't get hurt!" Luna said as the Scouts   
teleported.  
  
The Scouts landed in the middle of the street outside of Michael's   
old suburban house near New York, New York. A small group of children played in   
the small, city-yard next door to Michael's house. A small oak tree grew in the   
front yard of Michael's house. Europa saw a "For Sale" sign on the front lawn.   
A cab drove down the street in front of Michael's house. Heading straight for   
the Scouts.  
Everyone jumped out of the way of the car, Europa dragging the slow-on-  
her-feet Venus with him. The car screeched its horn at them as it drove past at   
speeds that seemed too fast for a residential area.  
"Nice save, huh?" Europa said to Venus, who humphed, crossing her arms.   
"So, they still haven't sold this old place. Not surprised. It's a dump   
inside, no matter what it looks like outside."  
The kids who were playing in the next yard had stopped playing at the car   
horn and looked over at the Scouts. Slightly cautiously, one of them called   
out, "Sailor Scouts?"  
"What? They know about us here in America?" Mercury asked.  
"Yeah! You guys are bigger than Brittney Spears over here," Europa   
responded. "And these kids are nice. They argue over who'll pretend to be   
Tuxedo Mask. They used to love Rigel, too. I think they gave him food."  
"You guys willing to visit some fans?" Serena asked, as though she herself   
would turn down the opportunity.  
"I'm going to go get the crystal," Europa said. "Wanna come with,   
Mercury?"  
"Sure, I'll join you!" Mercury said as Sailor Moon, Jupiter, and Mars went   
to visit with the kids. "You coming, Venus?"  
"No, that's all right," Venus said, approaching the kids. Mercury gave   
Europa a searching look as they walked into the front door.  
"Europa, did something happen between you and Mina?" she asked as she   
closed the door behind her.  
"No, not really," Europa replied. He tried not to let her know that he   
was lying. It didn't work.  
"Michael, you know I hate it when my friends lie," Mercury said a moment   
later. "Especially when it's to me."  
"How could you tell?" Europa asked after a short pause, during which his   
smile faded.  
"I couldn't. I called your bluff," Mercury said.  
"Tricky little girl, aren't you?" Michael chided, grinning. "Look, let's   
not take this too far public, shall we? It wouldn't sit very well with the   
others."  
"So, was it your fault?" Mercury asked.  
"Well, I guess that depends on who you ask. However, she asked me to   
break up," Europa said. "Look, let's just go get the crystal," he continued,   
walking towards the basement door. When he threw the door open, a wave of   
roaches crawled out from the darkness and crawled up Europa's pants leg. Europa   
yelped and began jumping around the room, trying to pull off his pants. Mercury   
blushed and turned around as he took care of the little problem one by one. She   
turned on her visor and looked down the stairs.  
"My visor is detecting a large amount of energy from the basement,"   
Mercury told Europa. The slapping sound had stopped; Europa merely laid on the   
floor, panting.  
"Man, I knew we had a bug problem, but it wasn't *this* bad," Europa said   
between deep breaths. "And why didn't they attack you?"  
"The energy output probably has something to do with that," Mercury said,   
pressing some buttons on her computer. She was afraid to look at him- he might   
not have replaced his pants. "As for the roaches, I have no idea. It really is   
odd, though."  
"Funny, I don't remember storing any nuclear waste in our basement,"   
Europa commented with a weak chuckle. "Maybe I'll have to ask my parents."  
"It might be the crystal," Mercury replied. "Or maybe some evil force has   
taken control here."  
"Yeah, there's probably some gigantic roach-critter at the bottom of the   
stairs, just waiting for us to go down there," Europa said.  
"Oh, just put your pants on and come on," Mercury replied.  
"Aww, you really want me to?" Europa asked. He grinned as Mercury moved   
towards the stairway without comment. "Hey, wait!" he exclaimed, moving to put   
his pants back on. He'd need a nice, peaceful, long, warm, comfortable shower   
when he got home. They descended the stairs, Mercury first and Europa close   
behind. The dusty smell made Mercury sneeze. Europa winced when he heard her   
sneeze. He took a defensive stance, preparing in case anything jumped out. The   
floor was dirt. Michael's parents had been in the middle of constructing it   
when the order for Michael's dad to transfer came along.  
They reached the bottom of the stairs, and Michael flipped the light   
switch, only to find that the light bulb had gone out.  
"Some help here, Mercury?" Europa said.  
"Darn it, Mike, I'm a med student, not an electrician!" Mercury said.  
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Europa asked.  
"Well, since I've got night vision in my visor, yes," Mercury replied,   
activating her night-vision. She activated the function on her computer to   
locate the crystal. "Just hold on to my arm and follow me," she said, offering   
her arm to Europa. She walked in a straight line towards the spot where the   
crystal was. When she got there, there was nothing but a green hand trowel   
laying on the ground.  
"Oh, great, so what's my attack with that thing?" Europa asked   
sarcastically when Mercury told him about the trowel. "Europa Sandbox Player?"  
"No, Michael, you're supposed to use it to dig," Mercury responded.  
"Well, Rigel did always love to bury stuff," Europa commented, feeling   
around for the trowel. Mercury handed it to him and guided him to the place   
where he was supposed to dig. "You know, my mom has been looking for this thing   
for a while now," Europa said, stabbing the tool into the soft dirt. After a   
few trowels-full, he heard a soft clink come from the ground.  
"You've hit it," Mercury said. Europa groped around the hole for a moment   
before laying his hand on the crystal.  
"Europa Power Transformation!" he exclaimed. His body was instantly   
covered by golden armor, decorated with silver gilding. A pouch hung at his   
side, filled with powder of some sort. "Cool! Let's get out of here and get   
back with the others."  
The two retraced their steps outside and saw the others playing with the   
kids. "Mercury! Europa!" Moon exclaimed. "What took you so long? We were   
getting a bit worried."  
"We had a bit of a bug problem," Europa commented. "And an electrical   
problem. And a digging problem."  
"Enough problems?" Jupiter asked.  
"Hardly. Like my new suit?" Europa asked, modeling for everyone.  
"Very nice, almost like mine," Mars replied.  
"Anyway, can we get out of here?" Europa asked. "I'm really tired, and I   
need a shower."  
"All right, everyone, let's gather around and get out of here," Mercury   
said. The six gathered in a circle and teleported back to the Temple, where   
Luna and Artemis were waiting for them still.  
"Well, I see that you found the crystal," Luna said.  
"Yeah, now if everyone will excuse me, I've got to go get cleaned off,"   
Europa said, reverting and walking towards his house. He was tired of   
everything that had happened that night. He'd go home, take his shower- no, his   
bath- and do some writing.  
"What happened there?" Moon asked. Everyone turned their stares on Amy,   
who wouldn't say a thing. She'd keep her promise to Michael. Then, everyone   
turned to Venus, who told them instead.  
"It may have something to do with the fact that he and I broke up earlier   
today," she said. Well, at least I won't have to keep a secret anymore, Amy   
thought to herself. Serena never lets me be if I've got a secret about our   
friends.  
"Yeah, that might be it," Moon said. "Oh, the poor guy! I hope he's   
okay. Are you okay, Mina?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine," Venus replied. "I'm the one who broke it off."  
"Well, I always had heard that it was just a political arrangement,"   
Artemis said. "Figured that it was worth a shot anyway."  
"Should we go talk to him about it?" Moon asked, reverting along with the   
others.  
"I don't think so," Amy said. "He told me that he didn't want it to be   
very 'public.'"  
"Well, we'll leave him be until tomorrow," Luna said. "We're going after   
Amy's crystal tomorrow after school."  
Amy walked alone down the street towards her home. She watched the lights   
of the cars passing along the street. The sky was dimming earlier than she had   
thought. Either that or they had spent more time away than she had thought.   
Some of the stores were still open, but most were closed or closing their doors.   
She was glad that she had remembered her coat, since it was cooling down   
outside. She was beginning to feel hungry. She wondered what she had to make   
at home. She would sleep very well that night, after doing her homework.  
  
End of part 1  
Coming soon- Part 2: The City of Lights  
  
Yeah, for the most part, nothing happened here. Sorry 'bout that! Then   
again, a story needs some sort of set-up before you can knock it down. Much   
more will happen next time, trust me! And in a shorter number of pages! And I   
just realized when I was writing this that it really seems like what I   
understand of Ronin Warriors. Understand that I had NO INTENTION of making it   
as such. I've never even seen the show. Okay, Michael Cross/Europa and   
Jennifer Hino are my characters. The rest are not owned by me in any way,   
shape, or form. Oh, well. Until next time, I'm out! E-mail any C&C to me at:   
jmh6187@uncwil.edu. 


	2. The City of Lights

Okay, well, at least I got to the second part of this fic this time   
through. Probably because I've got nothing better to do with my time. Good ol'   
college life. But then again, isn't that always how it goes?  
Okay, I'll level with you. I don't own Sailor Moon or any of the   
characters from the series. I created Michael Cross/Sailor Europa and Jennifer   
Hino. I'm still trying to work out the nuances, so work with me. That's why   
it's a work in progress.  
Oh, well. If there's nothing else, then I'll get on with it. And yes, I   
do know that there is no such thing as "Central Command." I'm just using   
writer's prerogative. So there.  
  
Missing Crystals  
A Sailor Moon Original Flavor fic  
By: M.H. Torringjan  
  
Part 2: The City of Lights  
  
Outside the Tiara Game Center, a crowd had gathered. The store had been   
closed for the past two weeks for some changes. They had brought in a snack bar   
and gotten rid of some of the older games. Some newer games also graced their   
floor, adding to the clutter on the first floor. The second floor was still,   
for the most part, empty. There was a pool table and a few games up there so   
far. According to some messages left by the owners, some more games were to be   
moved up there from downstairs. Jennifer really didn't want to do that.  
The new games were not what interested the crowd outside, though. What   
had brought the flocks of people to the arcade that day was the offer of free   
snacks from the new snack bar for the first two hours that the arcade was open,   
or until they ran out. With that many people, running out was a distinct   
possibility, especially in two hours.  
"Are we ready to open the doors?" Jennifer asked Andrew, who was   
organizing everything behind the snack bar. The snack bar was located just to   
the right of the stairway in the back of the room.  
"I'm set," he said, closing the cash register. "Let 'em in!"  
Jennifer opened the door, and the crowd of people rushed through, heading   
straight for the snack bar. Andrew felt a tinge of fear pass through him as he   
realized that most of the people were in a rush for first snacks.  
He put out his hand and, with authority, exclaimed, "NO RUNNING!!!" The   
crowd stood stark still, some people tripping over the others before drawing   
themselves from their inertia-fueled craze.  
For a moment, all action stopped inside the arcade. Everyone in the line   
of people stared at Andrew. "Well, what are you waiting for? We've got food   
here," Andrew said to the people. They cautiously rose and walked to the bar   
and began ordering food.  
At the door, Jennifer still stood, watching the chaos ensue. Andrew was   
very good at what he did. Not surprising after how long he'd been doing it. Of   
course, he'd be stopping soon. He was almost finished with his school, so he'd   
be getting a real job the first chance he could. Jennifer thought about that   
for a moment. "Maybe I should try getting a real job," she said to herself. "I   
mean, I had one a month ago-" she stopped herself. "Oh, wait. Ten years ago.   
I keep forgetting that I've been dead. Silly me. Well, at least I've been   
moving on with my life."  
Her thoughts were interrupted by two boys tipping the claw game in the   
corner. They looked a bit young to not be at school. She went over to them and   
said so. The two nervously left with discontented looks on their faces.   
Jennifer looked around at the other people in the arcade. She realized that   
most of them were school-aged. She couldn't tell all of them to leave, could   
she? After all, it was hardly her business. As long as Raye didn't swagger in   
when she was supposed to be at school. Or Lita, for that matter. Or any of the   
others, come to think of it. Then, it'd be personal.  
Jennifer decided to make the regular rounds, keep the peace for now. She   
walked upstairs to where a few people were playing at the pool table. One of   
the older men was smoking a cigarette. She asked him to take it outside, which   
he did. Jennifer kept telling Andrew that they needed a "No Smoking" sign. She   
frequently found people smoking upstairs, and it was annoying when she came   
upstairs to clean out during the day.  
A couple of hours later, she went downstairs to get some food from the   
snack bar. They had run out of snacks earlier on, but Andrew had set some food   
aside for both of them. Jennifer glanced up at the clock. It was about three   
in the afternoon. The girls would be getting there soon, if she knew them. And   
she thought that she knew Serena well enough to judge that Serena would be there   
without fail whenever she got the chance.  
Lita had mentioned that she wouldn't see much of them for the next couple   
of days, since they were going to be searching for the crystals like the one   
that Raye had needed. Well, she could manage on her own. Apparently, Michael   
had gotten his last night, and he left alone in a huff.  
Jennifer switched places with Andrew to tend the snack bar. She'd have to   
stay there for the rest of the day. Of course, she only had a few hours before   
she left. Serena, Amy, Lita, and Michael walked in as she was serving a tall,   
burly man and the girl who was with him.  
"Hi, guys! So, what brings you in here today? I thought that you were   
going to be gone today," Jennifer said.  
"Well, we're leaving in a while, but we thought that we should get some   
food before we left," Amy replied.  
"Yeah, who knows how long it'll be before we get an actual meal?" Serena   
said, pulling out some money to see what she could get. She ordered a little   
something to eat.  
"And I was just making sure that you knew what was going on," Lita said.  
"Well, you told me what was going on last night," Jennifer said, handing   
Serena her food. "Don't worry about it, it's on me."  
"Well, it was mostly so that Serena could get some food," Lita said. "Can   
I have a soda?" Jennifer handed the drink to her.  
As the girls took care of their snacks, Darien walked in and, noticing   
them, snuck up behind them. He motioned to Jennifer to keep quiet, and stood   
beside one of the games. He hadn't noticed Serena, who was out of his field of   
vision from his hiding place. He stealthily snuck out and tapped Lita on the   
shoulder. She gave a start and turned around, face to face with Darien.  
"Hi, Darien!" Lita said.  
Serena perked up at the name, swallowing the mouthful of food that she   
had. "Oh, Darien!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"  
"I'm just here to play some games, grab a little snack," Darien replied,   
grimacing as he realized that Serena was talking to him. "Nothing big."  
"Look, Darien, I'm really sorry about whatever's happening with us,"   
Serena said. "Please, I know you haven't told me before, but maybe now you can   
at least tell me what happened."  
"Serena, I'm sorry, but I can't say what happened," Darien said, moving to   
walk away.  
"Wait!" she exclaimed with tears in her eyes. Darien turned to look at   
her. He had a pained look on his face, the same one she always saw when this   
happened. "No, never mind, Darien." He walked away upstairs, leaving her   
crying softly to herself.  
This time had been no different from the others. They all began to sound   
the same in her mind. Each refusal bruised her just as badly as the one before.   
Something was wrong with the picture, though. Maybe it was the look on his face   
that convinced her of the miniscule chance that she thought she had. She knew   
that she would figure it out some day.  
"You okay, Serena?" Michael asked.  
"Yes, I'm alright," Serena said, wiping her eyes dry.  
"Excuse me for a minute," Jennifer said, walking upstairs. She found   
Darien and talked to him a bit. "Ummm, I don't think that we've formally met   
yet. I'm Jennifer Hino, Raye's mother. You, I assume, are Darien."  
"Yeah, that's me," Darien replied. "Nice to meet you. I've heard a lot   
about you from the others."  
"Yeah, that's nice. This isn't about formalities," Jennifer said. "Look,   
I don't know exactly what's going on there, and I suppose it's really not my   
business. I just really think that you should work things out with Serena."  
"I really wish that I could," Darien said. "And I really don't appreciate   
you butting into my personal matters. Now, if you would please be kind enough   
to let me play some games, I'd be very grateful."  
"Do you realize how much this hurts her?" Jennifer asked sternly.  
"Do you realize how much this hurts me?" Darien retorted. Jennifer   
stopped, thinking. "Well, that never occurred to you, did it? You think I like   
doing that? Breaking her life in two? Destroying her dreams? I really don't.   
However, that's how it's got to be. Now, if you'll excuse me, I don't feel like   
playing video games any more."  
Jennifer stood still as he walked back downstairs. As he walked toward   
the door, Lita fell in with his steps. "Darien, we've got a mission tonight,"   
she said. "You coming with us?"  
"Probably a good idea," Darien replied, still walking. He could never   
easily shake the pangs of sadness left from these sorts of episodes. "You never   
know what could happen. Where we going?"  
"We're going to Paris," she replied.  
"You mean Paris-town?" Darien asked, disbelieving what he heard. There   
wasn't even such a thing as Paris-town, but she couldn't mean-  
"No, I mean Paris. As in Paris, France," she replied. Okay, so Darien   
was wrong.  
"Why? How? What did I miss?" he asked.  
"Actually, not much," she replied. "Michael just got his crystal. We're   
hoping that this one will be just as easy to get, but Luna and Artemis doubt   
it."  
"All right, I'm in," Darien replied. The others caught up to them, Serena   
bringing Lita her drink.  
"Come on, everybody, let's go to the Temple," Michael said. "We're   
probably going to be late."  
"Oh, it's no big deal," Amy said. "Paris is twelve hours different from   
our time zone, so nothing much will really be happening until around about ten   
o'clock our time."  
"I guess that means we'll be getting home late," Lita said as they walked   
towards the Temple.  
  
"I wonder where everyone else is?" Mina commented, pacing back and forth   
in front of the Temple.  
"I don't know, but would you please stop pacing like that?" Raye replied.   
A cold breeze blew past her, sending a chill down her spine. The thick, woolen   
temple robe that she was wearing couldn't even keep her warm against the cold   
wind that blew that afternoon. It was too bad that they wouldn't be going to   
somewhere around the equator. She'd love a nice, warm, one-day vacation.  
"I can't help it," Mina said. "I'm nervous, impatient, and most of all   
cold, and this helps me warm up."  
"I can't say I blame you," Raye said. "Look, why don't we go inside, I   
mean, it's not like they're going to be here too soon. Besides, it's much   
warmer in there than it is out here."  
"I'm all for that," Mina agreed. The two stood up to walk inside, and   
Luna and Artemis jumped down from the trees.  
"Mind if we join you? We're freezing out here, too!" Luna asked. Artemis   
demonstrably chattered his teeth.  
"Of course you can come in," Raye said. "You think I'd leave you guys out   
here to freeze?"  
"Well, you never know," Luna said. Everyone went inside to the nearest   
room, Raye's room, and sat down while Raye prepared some warm tea to drink.  
"So, where is this crystal supposed to be?" Mina asked Luna.  
"You know, I'm not really sure," Luna replied. "I haven't had a chance to   
look at the program on Amy's computer to find out. We'll figure it out when we   
get there, I guess. We are expecting some sort of resistance when we find it,   
though, so it won't be a walk in the park, as such."  
"Is it the Negaverse?" Mina asked.  
"We're not really sure," Artemis replied. "We destroyed Rubeus, but that   
doesn't mean that there aren't more lackies behind him. Then again, it could   
just be regular security systems or guards. Who knows."  
"Well, I'm sure that we'll find out soon enough," Raye said, walking in   
with the tea. "And I'm sure that it's nothing that we can't handle with my   
crystal and Michael's crystal." After a few minutes of tea sipping, Raye heard   
the others calling for them outside the Temple. "Come on, let's get on with   
this. The others are finally here." Mina and Raye finished their tea quickly   
and went outside to meet the others.  
"Hey, guys, where were you?" Mina said as they got outside. Everyone else   
was there, even Darien.  
"We made a quick stop," Michael replied. "We ready to go?"  
"Yeah, we're ready when you all are," Raye said, taking out her crystal.   
She needed an easy way to keep it, but she wasn't sure if it was a good idea to   
put it on a necklace or a brooch. She was afraid that something would happen to   
it if she put it in her pocket. She wished for the third time this week that   
she had a subspace pocket like Luna and Artemis.  
"Let's go around back so that we aren't seen or anything," Lita said,   
leading the way.  
"Mercury Star Power!"  
"Mars Power Transformation!"  
"Jupiter Star Power!"  
"Venus Star Power!"  
"Europa Power Transformation!"  
"Moon Crystal Power!"  
Darien took out a rose and sniffed it, casually transforming.  
Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Europa stood and watched the girls as they shivered   
in the cold afternoon air. Europa grinned a bit, watching them jump around to   
maintain their body temperature.  
"Shall we get going? Quickly?!" Moon implored the others. They agreed   
and gathered around with the cats and Tuxedo Mask in the center.  
"Scout Teleport!" they exclaimed, blinking out of sight.  
  
The group reappeared on top of a building. The air was much warmer there,   
and that was all that Serena cared about. The noises of traffic in the distance   
drifted to the ears of the Scouts as they viewed their surroundings. People   
were just getting up and going out to work.  
"Okay, so we're here," Jupiter said. "Now, how do we get down from here?"  
"And exactly where is 'here?'" Europa added.  
"Well, my computer says that we're on the north side of Paris," Mercury   
said.  
"Well, that's helpful. Any more specific?" Jupiter asked, moving towards   
the edges to find a way down.  
"All that it says is 'On top of a building in the northern side of   
Paris,'" Mercury replied.  
"Oh, you're just joking," Mars commented, moving to another side of the   
building, searching for a way down.  
"No, that's really what it says," Mercury commented, tapping some more   
buttons.  
"Look, can we get down from here? I'm kind of nervous of heights,"   
Europa asked.  
"Yeah, we've got to get moving!" Tuxedo Mask exclaimed, jumping from the   
rooftop to the small street. Europa moved around to the side where Tuxedo had   
jumped down and found a viable way to get down. A rickety ladder of some sort   
leaned up against the wall, which Europa cautiously climbed down. He was   
quickly followed by the other Scouts, who were happy to get on the ground.  
Looking around, they realized that they were getting weird looks from the   
people who had seen them climb down. "You know, I think that we should de-  
transform," Luna said quietly, motioning to a nearby alleyway. Everyone moved   
towards it and reverted to their normal forms.  
"Okay, now, do any of us know French?" Michael asked.  
"Yeah, I know enough for us to survive," Mina replied.  
"Survive, nothing!" Artemis interjected. "We're just here for enough time   
to find the crystal and get out of here." He added a glare at Serena for   
effect.  
"All right, all right!" Serena said.  
"Our first order of business is to get some money," Amy replied. "This   
place is too big to walk the whole time and still get back in good time. We   
don't even know where the crystal is."  
"We can get some money exchanged at banks, metro stations, and other   
places," Mina said. "We should be fine with however much money we have. Buses   
and the subway doesn't cost that much."  
"And what about food? I'd love a romantic dinner here," Serena pled.  
"You mean romantic breakfast, and no, we can't do food," Luna said. "Now,   
let's go and try to figure out where this thing is."  
"Yeah, let's go," Michael said, leading the way.  
"Where ya' going?" Serena asked, following him quickly.  
"To find a newspaper," he replied coolly, walking on in the same   
direction.  
"Whatever for?" Luna asked, running quickly behind the two. Everyone else   
followed quickly behind, wondering the same as Luna.  
"With my crystal, the roaches were acting really weird. Something similar   
may be going on with Amy's crystal, as well. The newspaper might say something   
about that sort of thing," Michael replied.  
"Good thinking, but there's two things," Mina said. Michael stopped and   
turned around.  
"And those are?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.  
"We're still out of funds," Mina replied.  
"Oh, I forgot to mention," Michael said, grinning. "I always keep some of   
every type of money with me just in case of emergencies."  
"Really?" Serena asked, amazed.  
"No, not really," Michael replied. "But it would be helpful if I did,   
wouldn't it?" Mina's reply was pulling out her wad of yen. She only had about   
2,000 yen on her at the time.  
Amy typed in her computer to get the conversion. "That'll get us around   
about 120 francs," she reported after her computer had done the calculation. "A   
newspaper can't cost more than a few francs, so we'll be fine for funding for a   
while."  
"And everyone's chipping in," Artemis said. "I don't want Mina being the   
only one to shoulder the costs of these trips." The others went into their   
pockets, producing 10000 yen total. Darien provided most of it, while Serena   
didn't have any money on her.  
"We should save most of this for our other trips," Luna said. "Two   
hundred and forty francs will easily get us through this trip. Now, let's get   
on with it."  
They walked down the maze of streets towards the Seine river (according to   
Amy's computer), hoping to find a bank fairly quickly. The sun began to rise at   
the horizon. The number of people and cars around them increased slowly as they   
moved closer to the river road by road. In the distance, Serena saw a white   
palace on a hill.  
"Oooo, what's that over there?" she asked, pointing to the object of her   
wonder.  
"That's called Sacre Coeur," Mina replied. "I doubt that we'll be going   
over there. It's mostly a historical monument."  
"But it's really pretty, and I'd love to see it up close!" Serena   
continued. "Come on, Luna, Artemis! Don't we have time for just one sight?"  
"You can see it from here, right?" Luna asked. Serena nodded. "Well,   
that's your sight. Enjoy it while you can."  
"Oooh, you're so mean!" Serena said, crossing her arms and walking quietly   
along with them.  
After a short while more of walking, Mina saw a money exchange across the   
street from them. Waiting for the now-busy traffic to die down, she crossed the   
street and exchanged their money for Francs. She was also able to find a map of   
the transportation systems which might come in handy.  
"Hey, Mina!" Michael exclaimed. "What was that other thing from earlier?"   
he asked.  
"Well, Amy's computer supposedly can tell us where these things are.   
We're using it to find our leads."  
"No! My idea's more efficient!" Michael exclaimed.  
"Well, you need me for it to work!" Mina yelled back.  
"Odd, I never saw this coming, the way they were acting to each other   
yesterday," Lita commented quietly to Raye.  
"I don't need you really! I could buy a dictionary!" Michael exclaimed   
back.  
"Guys, people are staring," Darien commented, moving towards them.  
"That's it! Luna, give me 50 francs and let me go on my way! Anyone   
who's with me come with me now," Michael said, extending his hand to the others.  
"Michael, you're acting a bit odd," Luna commented. "Is everything all   
right?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, letting his hand drop. "So, is anyone with   
me?" No one spoke or joined him. Darien moved towards him and pulled him   
aside.  
"It really does work better Mina's way," Darien commented. "Sometimes,   
it's better to just go with them. They really do know a bit better than you.   
They've been at it longer than you have."  
"But my way's faster!" Michael retorted, confident of his judgment.  
"Think for a second, Mike. It's not like odd occurrences are in short   
supply in the world. Any one of them could have been caused by the crystal.   
This basically guarantees that we'll get at least a certain lead to the crystal.   
This way really is better from all the ways you look at it. Besides, even if   
you go your separate way and find it first, something bad may happen to you, and   
we won't be there to help you. You want that? We sure don't want you getting   
hurt. That's why we go together. There's strength in numbers."  
Michael stood silent for a moment. The girls waited for the two to finish   
their little chat. Amy patiently typed away at her computer.  
"The crystal is showing up somewhere inside the-" Amy stopped with a   
shocked look on her face.  
"Where is it, Amy?" Lita asked.  
"It's in the Louvre," Amy replied.  
"What's so bad about that?" Serena asked, turning her attention from the   
discussion between Darien and Michael.  
"Serena, do you know how large the Louvre is?" Raye asked. Serena shook   
her head. "Gods, you're such an airhead. The Louvre is so large that it'd take   
three days to look through the whole thing!"  
"Come on! We just split up, and we should be fine!" Mina said.  
"What happened the last time we split up?" Luna said, referring to the   
mission in Rubeus' castle.  
"Good point. But how do we figure this out in time? We've only got a few   
more hours before we've got to go back!" Raye exclaimed.  
"Well, first, let's get there. That should be good enough for now,"   
Artemis commented. "Where's the nearest metro station, Mina?" Mina unfolded   
her map of the metro routes.  
"The closest one to us is the Place de Clichy," Mina replied. "We can get   
to the Louvre with one rail change at the Champs-Elysees."  
"Good, we'll go ahead and take that," Luna replied.  
"Oh, wait! There's a faster bus route!" Mina exclaimed. It'll probably   
be cheaper, too!"  
"Okay, we'll take that, then," Luna said. Michael and Darien rejoined the   
group. "Everyone here?"  
"Not exactly," Lita commented, pointing to Serena, who was looking through   
the window of a boulangerie and drooling.  
"Oh, for Pete's sake, Serena, what is it now?" Luna asked.  
"They've got chocolate-filled bread in there! And what luck, I'm just   
getting hungry!" Serena exclaimed.  
"Oh, you're always hungry!" Raye said.  
"And frankly, I don't blame her," Mina commented. "I mean, you can't   
fight on an empty stomach."  
"Oh, alright," Luna said. "We'll stop for a little something to eat!"   
Serena clapped excitedly and ran inside. Everyone else went inside and ordered   
a little something while Luna and Artemis sat outside, watching the people walk   
by. They saw a few other cats walk along the street, some of which cast passing   
glances at the newcomers on their turf. Everyone else sat down at a bench   
outside to eat their breakfast, and Michael walked down the street a bit and   
purchased his newspaper.  
"I thought that we had dissuaded you from that," Amy said, eating her   
croissant. It was a bit bland, but not too bad. She watched as he glanced over   
the paper, as if he could understand it.  
"Hey! There's something here about the Louvre!" he exclaimed. "What does   
it say?" he asked, handing the paper to Mina.  
"It says that the Louvre's been taken over by the Security forces, and no   
one has been allowed in for the past week," Mina replied. "They are releasing   
no demands, and they've holed themselves up so that any attempts to retake the   
place are foiled easily. None of the forces that have been sent in have   
returned."  
"Anyone else think this is the crystal's work?" Michael asked smugly.  
"Yeah, probably so," Darien commented between bites of his own croissant.   
The rest had chocolate-bread to tide them over. They quickly ate and prepared   
to go.  
"You're going to have to lead us, Mina," Artemis said. "We have no idea   
where we're going."  
"You know, I could always give you the map," Mina replied. "I'm really   
just the translator. And I'm not even that good of one. I mean, my French is   
so dusty that it'd make a maid sneeze."  
"Don't worry about it," Artemis said. "Just try your best, and if all   
else fails, they hopefully know Enlgish."  
  
The bus was crowded. That was the only thought that went through all of   
the Scouts' minds simultaneously as they rode towards the Louvre. The metro was   
likely to be the same story, so no one was complaining. Then again, what good   
would it have done?  
Michael could smell the strong perfume that the woman next to him had put   
on that morning. He was standing almost against the back of the bus, so it   
would be tough to get off where they wanted to. Near the front, Serena, Mina   
and Lita had found seats. He wished that he could have sat down, but *no*, they   
had to get on in front of him and take up the last free seats. He was never   
fast enough to get to any when people vacated them.  
Amy looked around, trying to find the others. She couldn't see them at   
all, being trapped between some really tall people. The bus was dark other than   
when they passed by opened the door, turning on the lights.  
Mina glanced at the route map to see how close they were to their stop.   
"How much longer are we on here?" Serena, who was sitting next to Mina, asked.  
"We've only got two more stops," Mina said. She tried refolding the map,   
which didn't work very well, thanks to the closeness of the bus. Raye, who was   
standing closest to the door, looked out the window. Outside of the bus,   
mansions and monuments passed by quickly, and she began to wish along with   
Serena that they could visit some of them. She had heard about the Louvre many   
times, and wished that they could look at the masterpieces. She wished that   
they could look at the Mona Lisa up close or get a picture of the Venus de Milo.  
She was jarred from her thoughts as the bus stopped and Mina signaled all   
of them to get off. As they descended from the vehicle, Serena tripped. Darien   
caught her and set her straight on her feet. A short walk later, they could see   
the glass pyramid entrance, which looked deserted.  
"Where are they?" Mina asked.  
"Maybe they're inside?" Lita suggested.  
"I think you should go and transform before we go any further," Luna   
suggested.  
"Good idea," Amy said, looking around for a secreted place to transform.   
"There's an empty alleyway over there." Amy pointed to a doorway on the   
building near the fountains, which were turned off. They ran over to it   
quickly, hoping to not draw any attention to them. On the way, Michael saw old   
blood spattered on the pavement. His senses perked up, and he looked around.   
He looked at a window in the building just in time to see a sniper point his gun   
towards the running Scouts.  
"Watch out!" he yelled, throwing himself forward and pushing Mina out of   
the way of the shot. The other Scouts fell to the ground when they heard the   
shot. Raye was way ahead of them. "Move! Let's get in there!"  
"But they're shooting at us!" Serena exclaimed.  
"No, *he* shot at us," Michael corrected. "It was a sniper. Snipers   
don't shoot from the same place twice. It'll take him a while to get set up   
again. Now, let's get in there!"  
The group of people ran through the door and quickly took a place where   
they couldn't be caught by any other snipers. "Michael, you saved me!" Mina   
said, sitting down against the wall.  
"Hey, what else could I do?" Michael replied.  
"Well, I'm just surprised that you were able to see them in time to get to   
me!" Mina said.  
"Hey, it was nothing. Not bad for someone without sixth sense, though,"   
Michael said with a grin. "Now, let's transform!" Everyone nodded.  
"Mercury Star Power!"  
"Mars Power Transformation!"  
"Jupiter Star Power!"  
"Venus Star Power!"  
"Europa Power Transformation!"  
"Moon Crystal Power!"  
After everyone had transformed, they peeked out through the doorway. "No   
good, I can't make out anything through the windows," Jupiter said, pulling her   
head back inside. "Mercury, can you help us out here?"  
"Okay, my computer says that there are roughly one-hundred people inside   
stationed all around the area of the place. The crystal is located in the   
Egyptian art section on the ground floor. Apparently, it was mistaken for a   
fertility charm from Pharaonic Egypt. It's heavily guarded in just about all   
the ways that we can get there," Mercury explained.  
"Well, how are we supposed to get in there then?" Europa asked.  
"Can we please bust our way in? It can't be too well guarded," Jupiter   
said.  
"If we were dealing with Nega-monsters and a regular old hide-out, I would   
say that we could," Luna said. "However, we're dealing with normal human beings   
and priceless works of art in the Louvre here. No, we cannot bust our way in."  
"Well, how do we get in, then?" Europa asked.  
"One of your powers, Europa, is a personal invisibility shield," Luna   
said. "You go in before us and scout the area in front of us. We won't be able   
to do this ourselves without being seen. So you must do it for us."  
"Oh, sure! You come crawling back to me now! Where were you now when I   
was offering my services? 'Oh, we should do it a different way!' 'This way is   
better!'" Europa said.  
"Europa! This is neither the time nor the place to be joking around!   
These people have real guns! They can hurt us very badly! You can have your   
moment on the stage later!" Luna was getting angry. She could see the problems   
that Rigel had had with the boy. "Now, this personal cloaking field only lasts   
for about ten minutes once it's activated, and you can only use it once per   
transformation. You can't use any other powers while you're invisible. Make   
sure that you step rightly and quickly."  
"Now, before we get going, let me figure out how to get there best," Amy   
said, typing away on the computer. She searched through the floor plan for the   
quickest route to the crystal. "Okay, so we're going in through the pyramid to   
the underground floor, going up the stairs to the ground floor, taking a right,   
and then a left at the branch in the Greek and Roman antiques. If we follow it,   
we'll reach where the crystal is."  
"Now, all you call out is 'Europa Invisibility!'" Luna explained to   
Europa. "Shall we?"  
"All right," Europa said. "Europa Invisibility!" As the echo from the   
inside of the hall faded, so did Europa. He walked into the courtyard towards   
the glass pyramid. Mercury used her computer to try and pinpoint the position   
of the sniper. Apparently, he had left his post momentarily. The other Scouts   
walked cautiously into the courtyard, following a similar path as Europa.   
Tuxedo Mask held a rose at the ready to throw at anyone not on their side.  
Europa quietly descended the stopped escalator, glancing around only when   
he reached the bottom. He saw no one anywhere near where he was, and moved on   
to the next area. He ascended the stairway past the ticket booths, entering the   
first gallery. He quietly peeked around the corner into a side room and saw a   
guard. He didn't want this guy causing trouble. His hand balled into a fist,   
he rushed towards the guard. The guard frantically looked around at hearing the   
footsteps, just in time to present his chin to Europa. Europa applied a strong   
uppercut to the guard, who reeled backwards. Europa grabbed him before he fell   
into the painting and gently placed him on the ground.  
From around the corner, Sailor Moon yelled out over a gun-shot. Europa   
rushed from the room to see the Scouts hiding behind a column.  
"What's up, girls?!" Europa asked, going back to them.  
"You missed a guard," Venus replied.  
"I don't see anyone," Europa commented.  
"Yeah, neither did we," Jupiter said. "Mars saved us back there."  
"All right, let me help you out," he said, walking towards where the   
shooter was hiding. He saw the guard crouching behind a column of his own,   
preparing to make his move on the Scouts.  
Europa drew back and threw his fist just as the man ran out from his   
hiding place. The punch missed, and the man collided with Europa, sending the   
two to the ground, the guard on top of Europa. Europa grabbed the gun and   
wrested it away from the guard, who was still trying to figure out why he had   
fallen and why his gun had flown across the room. The guard jumped up and   
backed quickly towards his gun. Michael threw himself towards the guard,   
catching his legs and dropping him to the ground again. The guard hit Europa's   
arms and wriggled his legs, trying to get free. Europa decided to let him go   
and try again.  
He rolled away and watched as the guard jumped to the shelter of the   
nearest column. The guard crouched down, crossing himself. Europa jumped at   
the guard, throwing another fist towards his face. This time it connected,   
knocking the guard out.  
"Gods, how do people do that?" Europa asked, rubbing his fist.  
"Wimp," Tuxedo Mask chided.  
"You're one to talk, Cane-boy," Europa returned. The Scouts heard   
reinforcements from down the hall coming to back the guard up. "Oh, boy. Here   
comes the cavalry. Let's get going."  
"You've only got a few more minutes of invisibility, so you should stay   
close to us," Amy said as they ran down the corridor. They ducked into the side   
room where Europa had knocked out the first guard.  
"You've been busy, haven't you?" Venus asked.  
"Hey, I've got a job to do," Europa said. "Now, quiet down!" Europa   
looked around. "Where are Luna and Artemis?"  
"I didn't see where they've gotten to," Venus said. "We'll find 'em   
later."  
"Let me take care of them," Europa said. The guards passed by the room to   
where they heard the commotion. After they passed by, the Scouts followed the   
hallway down through the different exhibits. At the entranceway to the Egyptian   
artifacts, three guards stood at the ready, waiting for the Scouts.  
"Wait here. I'll take care of them," he said. He moved quietly to the   
men and punched one of them, sending him to the ground. The two guards turned   
and pointed their guns. Europa froze. He looked down and could see himself.   
"Oh, crap," he said.  
The guards started chattering away in French to each other. Europa tried   
to think of how to get out of this. "Umm, excuse me?" he asked the guards. One   
of them backhanded him.  
"What are they saying, Venus?" Mercury asked.  
"Darned if I know! They're talking too fast! I think they mentioned   
something about a manager," Venus replied.  
"There's always a higher-up, eh?" Mars said.  
"Shouldn't we do something about Europa?" Jupiter asked.  
"I guess so," Venus said. "Venus Love Chain Strike!" Two golden love   
chains sprung from her hands towards the guards, who turned just in time to get   
hit on the hands, making them drop the guns. Europa took that chance to punch   
the one who had backhanded him. The other grabbed his arm and twisted it behind   
his back, moving Europa around so that he was blocking the guard. Europa tried   
flipping the guard, only to receive a knee in the back. Europa yelled out.  
"Umm, can you guys do something for me here?" Europa called. Lita and   
Mina rushed the guard, who moved backwards, dragging Europa with him. They   
backed him into a corner with Europa as his human shield, him yelling all the   
way in French. Europa gave a swift elbow to the gut of the guard, dropping him   
to his knees. "Thanks, let's move quickly," Europa said as all of the Scouts   
moved along.  
They turned the corner and found the case that was supposed to hold the   
crystal. It wasn't there.  
"Oh, well, that's just damned peachy," Europa said. "What are we supposed   
to do now? We've got to get out of here soon, we don't know where the crystal   
is, and we've lost track of Luna and Artemis. This is great. Just friggin'   
great."  
"Europa, stop panicking," Tuxedo Mask said. "We can handle this.   
Everybody check the other cases in here to see if it's anywhere else."  
"What does it look like?" Moon asked.  
"It looks like this," Mercury said, processing a picture on her computer.   
It was a sapphire hung from a simple silver necklace and decorated with silver.  
"It's not here," Jupiter said, glancing across the closest display case.  
"Hey, check this one out, guys!" Moon exclaimed from a little further down   
the hallway. "The glass is broken, and it looks like something's missing from   
in here."  
"Someone must have taken it," Mercury said. "Let me see if I can hone in   
on its new location." She began typing away at the keyboard. The voices of   
guards sounded from down the hallway.  
"Think you could hurry up a bit?" Europa said. "We're on a bit of a tight   
schedule here."  
"No, I'm not getting anything new," Mercury said. "It says that it's   
still around here somewhere.  
"Scouts!" Luna called from further down the hallway. "We've got it!   
Let's get out of here!" Artemis emerged, carrying the charm in his mouth.  
"All right! Do we have room to do it in here?" Mars asked.  
"We should go into the courtyard," Luna said. Mercury opened a window,   
and they climbed out. They quickly formed a circle and chanted, "Scout   
Teleport!"  
A cold moment of between-ness later, they were back in the court-yard of   
the Temple and in the cold again. Europa grinned as the others scampered for   
someplace where they could revert safely. He casually joined Tuxedo Mask with   
the girls and reverted. The sky-line was just beginning to darken.  
"You know, that's why I like my outfit," Michael said, grinning.  
"Oh, shut up," Mina said. "Can we get some sort of a new outfit,   
Artemis?"  
"Well, when you get your crystal, you get the new outfit," Artemis   
replied.  
"And even then, it's not much warmer," Raye said.  
"Okay, so we're meeting back here tomorrow after school to go for Mina's   
crystal," Luna said. "Try to get plenty of sleep. I'll make sure that Serena   
does."  
"See you tomorrow! Sleep well!" Lita said, walking towards her   
apartment. Michael began to head towards his home.  
"Hey, Michael!" Mina said, catching up to Michael. "Thanks for what you   
did back there. I don't..."  
"Hey, don't worry 'bout it! Did you think I'd let you get shot or   
something? Now, let's just go on like it hadn't happened," Michael said. "I   
don't want to think about what might have happened. I can't think of what the   
Scouts would be like without any of us." Michael stopped and looked at her. "I   
still have feelings for you, Mina. I just want you to be all right, so I'm glad   
I'm there with you."  
"Michael, thank you for the help. As long as we're friends, I'll be   
happy," Mina said, hugging Michael. "Hey, I'll see you tomorrow!"  
"Bye, Mina!" Michael said, going off towards his home. Mina turned down   
the road towards her house. The street lights were just lighting up, showing   
dimly against the pinkish afternoon sky. She looked at the skyline, lights just   
showing across the landscape.  
"Mina, don't worry about it," Artemis said. "You made the right choice.   
Let's go home. You've got homework."  
  
End Chapter 2  
  
Okay, so I had a haff-WAFF ending. Sorry, but I'm going to have more WAFF   
later. I'm trying to work on characterization and other stuff. I may even have   
to extend the story a bit more. Oh, well. I'll be back next time. Hope you   
enjoyed!  
  
Contact me at: jmh6187@uncwil.edu. 


	3. Returning to the Past

Missing Crystals 3  
A Sailor Moon Original Flavor fic  
By: M.H. Torringjan  
  
Okay, let's get the usual legal-ese out of the way. I don't own Sailor   
Moon. I made Michael Cross/ Sailor Europa and Jennifer Hino. They are mine.   
So there. Now, let me see what I can do with this fic series that I've got   
going for me...  
  
Michael walked out of the door of his house to walk to school the next   
morning. What about last night? he thought. Does Mina still have feelings for   
me? I mean, I'd really like to know, so that I can figure out how to act around   
her. Gods, I hate being so awkward. I like the others so much more right now.   
I'm clear on how I feel towards them, and how they are towards me. I wish that   
I could feel that way with Mina. Almost makes me wish I was like Darien. But   
then, look what that's doing to Serena.  
Michael walked along, looking at the stores as he passed. Every time he   
passed a window, it was hard for him to keep his eyes focused on what was inside   
the store. He kept seeing his reflection in the glass.  
Okay, stop this crap! he told himself. Someone's going to see it when you   
get to school! Think about that book that you're reading! That's a darned good   
book! Hey, and think about your favorite band! When's their next album coming   
out? Hope it's better than their last one!  
He looked at the sky, ignoring the windows. It was still cold, but the   
sun shone brightly. The lack of clouds almost made it like a stretch of   
tropical ocean, tranquil and blue.  
  
Michael walked into the classroom and sat down, taking out his books for   
class. Amy wasn't there yet. He opened his science book and began to read even   
further ahead. Amy learns things so quickly, he said to himself. I thought   
that I was the only one who could learn like that, but I guess this proves me   
wrong. She's even modest about it. I don't get it, I mean, why should you not   
be proud about your virtues? Yeah, she'd say that she is proud - she's just not   
rude about it. But then again, what would she mean by "rude?" Does she mean   
that I'm rude about my intelligence? Or is it just some hypothetical rudeness   
that I haven't personally shown? Well, I don't think that I'm rude. Then   
again, that could just be the American in me talking. I should take them to   
America for a while some time.  
Someone tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up to see Serena standing   
in front of his desk, smiling. He had been lost in thought so much that he   
hadn't seen her walk up. More importantly, he couldn't remember what he had   
just read.  
"Hey, Mike!" Serena said. "How's it going? Ready for another day in   
class?"  
"More like I'm ready to get on our next mission," Michael replied.  
"Now, now, Michael, you know that Amy wouldn't like you talking about   
that," Serena teased.  
"But she's not here, is she?" he replied.  
"Actually, yes I am," Amy said from behind Michael. Michael jumped and   
turned around, grinning sheepishly. "And really, Serena, I don't mind. No one   
knows, and even if they heard, they wouldn't know what we were talking about."  
"Hey, what you guys talking about?" Melvin asked, walking up.  
"None of your business, Melvin," Serena said.  
"We're just talking about what we're doing tonight," Amy said. "We're   
having a study group for Serena's History and Geography."  
"Well, I'd love to help you, but Molly and I are going to go out to the   
planetarium tomorrow," Melvin said.  
"Funny, we didn't ask you," Serena said again. Miss Haruna walked in   
then, starting class. Everyone took their seat and prepared for class.  
  
Michael, Serena, Lita, and Amy walked out of the school that day, meeting   
Luna at the entrance. "Are you ready to go?" Luna asked.  
"I'm set to go," Michael said. "I assume the others'll be waiting for   
us?"  
"Of course," Luna said. "We're going to London for Mina's crystal."  
"Hey, if Mina lived in London before, then why didn't Artemis give her the   
crystal while she was Sailor V?" Lita asked.  
"He didn't know about it," Luna replied. "Neither did I. We thought that   
they had been destroyed in the Last Battle. Apparently, Rigel wasn't telling us   
something, since he had Michael's and the program from Central Command. Oh,   
well, nothing we can do with it. Shall we get on with it?"  
"Look, we're getting out of here with plenty of time, so can we spend some   
free time there? I mean, it's London!" Michael asked. "They've got one of the   
best club scenes in the world!"  
"Okay, if we've got enough time, you can go around a bit," Luna sighed.   
Serena figured there wouldn't be any time, no matter what. You've got homework   
this, or you need sleep that.  
"I'll settle for that," Michael said.  
"Good. Now, can we focus on our job?" Luna said.  
"Okay, where is this crystal that we're looking for, anyway?" Lita asked.  
"How would you react if I told you it was one of the Crown Jewels?" Amy   
asked.  
"I'd say that I give up," Michael said. "I'm going home and going to bed.   
Anyone want to come with me?"  
"No, thanks," Lita said. "I'm in. How are we getting in, anyway?  
"Come on, Michael," Serena said. "We need you along!"  
"Oh, all right! But it's not my fault when we get thrown in jail for five   
consecutive life sentences for trying to steal the Crown Jewels," Michael said,   
frowning.  
"Don't worry, Mike! We're the Sailor Scouts! They'll understand!" Serena   
said.  
"Serena, I really doubt that they'll care if we're the Sailor Scouts. I   
don't think they'd care if we were the Queen's sisters. And brother, Michael,"   
Amy said. "We'll have to get in there and get out somehow without getting   
caught. We'll figure something out when we get there."  
They spent the rest of the walk in silence. Amy tapped away on her   
computer, enclosed in her world of statistics and analyses. Lita walked along,   
watching the scenery. Serena watched the stores passing. Michael thought.   
Luna followed in close tow, getting more nervous. She had a bad feeling about   
this mission.  
  
Mina and Raye waited at the Temple for the others to get there. Artemis   
laid down to take a nap. He wanted to be nicely rested for the trip. Mina and   
Raye sat on the steps, bundled up from the cold weather. They were engaged in a   
conversation about various issues that concerned them.  
"Mina, what is going on with you and Michael?" Raye asked.  
"Nothing, at this point," Mina said. She was really getting tired of   
this. Raye had been bugging her since the after the New York mission about   
Michael. Mina had repeatedly told all of them that nothing was going on, as far   
as she was concerned. She'd have to give it one more shot. "It's over between   
the two of us."  
"What about last night?" Raye asked. "What did you say to him after we   
got back?"  
"I just thanked him again for saving my life. What else was I supposed to   
do?" Mina responded. "Why do you keep on asking?"  
"I keep sensing a sort of tenseness when I'm around Michael and you   
together," Raye said.  
"He just hasn't coped yet," Mina replied calmly. "Give him a while, and   
he'll be right as rain. Besides, I can tell that he's already started looking   
at other girls. I mean, he'd been doing it the whole time we were going out."  
"Did that have something to do with the breakup?"  
"No. I mean, I was doing the same thing. But towards him, I felt nothing   
other than a vague sense of friendship. It was nothing like the last boyfriend   
that I had had in London. All I had thought about was him. I can't get that   
sort of thing with any guys here, although I do enjoy their company." Mina   
sighed. "I think he's got his eyes set on Amy now. Maybe Lita. It's hard to   
tell who he's interested in, other than me."  
"Well, you've got an easier time at it than I do," Raye said. "I had no   
idea he was interested in them. But I've seen him looking at other girls. I   
just don't understand the guy."  
At that point, the others walked around the corner. "Which guy?" Michael   
asked.  
"Oh, I saw this guy on the way over here, and I was telling Raye about   
him," Mina said. She didn't like lying to Michael, but she didn't want him to   
know that they had been talking about him. It was a lame excuse, though; she   
expected he'd figure it out.  
"Okay, cool," Michael said. "So, are we ready to go? You girls ready for   
a tough mission?"  
"A tough mission?" Raye asked.  
"Our crystal's one of the Crown Jewels," Amy said.  
"Oh, well, isn't that just great?" Raye said. "Wait, wasn't one of the   
Crown Jewels actually stolen already?"  
"What?" Amy said.  
"I read in the paper the other day that the Sunburst Necklace was stolen,"   
Raye said. "What's the computer say the crystal's called?"  
Amy typed into her computer for a moment. "It's the Sunburst Necklace."  
"The article said that security cameras saw a strange creature destroying   
the door, breaking the glass and taking the crystal," Raye said.  
"Oh, what fun," Michael said.  
"Look, we'll take this a little bit at a time," Luna said. "We have to do   
this, though. I think that if we keep our act together, we can do this. I'd   
hate to think what would happen if we were caught."  
"That's easy for you to say," Lita said. "You're not the one who'll get   
thrown in jail for five consecutive life sentences if you get caught trying to   
steal the Crown Jewels."  
"Oh, just stop worrying and transform," Luna said. She walked over to   
Artemis and poked him. "Come on, Lazy-Head, we're going."  
"Mercury Power Transformation!"  
"Mars Power Transformation!"  
"Jupiter Star Power!"  
"Venus Star Power!"  
"Europa Power Transformation!"  
"Moon Crystal Power!"  
A moment later, the Sailor Scouts were standing in their places, ready to   
teleport and trying to stay warm. "Scout Teleport!"  
  
They appeared on the bank of a river beside a two-story building. Across   
the face of the building was writing for the London Aquarium. The sun was just   
beginning to rise over the horizon. The street lights were still on from the   
previous night. A few cars drove across the bridge beside the building. Serena   
could see Big Ben across the bridge from where they were. The Scouts reverted   
so as to look less conspicuous.  
"The London Aquarium?" Raye asked. "Why'd we land here?"  
"I like the aquarium," Mina said. "I used to come here from time to time   
just to get away from Artemis and calm down."  
"So, this is where you went!" Artemis exclaimed. "You have no idea where   
I looked for you!"  
"Let me guess, the department stores, the arcades, and the ice cream   
parlors," Mina said.  
"Actually, yes," Artemis said, blushing. "But, in my defense, that's   
where you usually go!"  
"Come on, we've got work to do," Luna said. The group walked down the   
street, led by Mina, to the closest money exchange. Michael bought another   
newspaper.  
"Why do you keep on buying those things?" Raye asked.  
"I like to keep up with the current events," Michael said.  
"You know, that's why we've got newspapers at home," Raye replied.  
"And I like seeing stuff in English from time to time," Michael replied.   
"It's nice to not always have to rely on a language that I know shakily at   
best."  
"Yeah, that's how I felt when my family first moved to Tokyo," Mina said.   
"That, and I wanted to find a guy."  
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Luna said. "Okay, so the first place we   
should go is to the Tower of London. We can probably get some clues there as to   
where we should be going."  
  
"Droid Windbag, come in!" Rubeus said through the mirror.  
"Yes, Lord Rubeus!" Windbag said, her image appearing through the   
communicator.  
"Have you gotten the crystal?" Rubeus asked.  
"Yes, my lord," Windbag replied, holding up the crystal.  
"Good. Bring it to me. There'll be a portal waiting for you at   
Piccadilly Circus in a little while," Rubeus said. "And don't let anyone stop   
you."  
"Alright, my lord," Windbag said, closing the communication.  
"I can sense the Sailor Scouts near," Rubeus said to himself. "I'll stop   
them in their tracks this time!"  
"Well, I hope for your sake that you do," Wiseman said from the center   
communicator. "Prince Diamond is getting impatient with you. We don't have   
unlimited resources to devote to this project. We are fighting our own war   
here, you know."  
"Yes, Wiseman, I know," Rubeus said. "They beat me to the first three   
crystals, but I'm going to get the other three. Just give me some time, and   
I'll give you those crystals and the Sailor Scouts' heads on pikes."  
"I'll tell Prince Diamond that you need time, but be aware that you don't   
have much more," Wiseman said, closing the channel.  
"Impudent bastard... I'll show him that I'm not one to be trifled with,"   
Rubeus muttered to himself as he returned to work on the next series of droids.  
  
"Okay, we're here," Lita said, looking at the Tower's high stone walls.   
"Now, how do we get in?"  
"The place is full of guards, and I doubt it'll work if we bust our way   
in," Raye said. "They've got this place covered tight, from what I can see."  
"You know, it's at times like these that I wish my power didn't suck,"   
Michael said.  
"I've got an idea," Mina said. "There's an access to the river on the far   
side of the castle. We might have an easier time getting in there."  
"They've probably got guards there," Artemis said. "After all, that's one   
of the easiest places to get in."  
"Raye, are you getting any vibes or anything?" Mina asked.  
"I haven't felt a thing since we got here," Raye replied.  
"Amy, can your computer tell us anything?" Luna asked.  
"Yes, just give me a moment," Amy said, typing on her computer some more.   
She was beginning to get eyestrain from this mission. She hoped it would be   
over soon.  
"I'll walk around this way and see if there's any way we can get in," Mina   
said, walking away to their left. The morning light had been getting stronger   
since they had gotten there. She hated that they'd have to work in the daylight   
this time. She looked at the wall of the Tower from her distance as she walked   
along. As the next side of the building came into view, she saw a large chunk   
of wall had been blown apart.  
Frowning, she tried to get a better look at it from there. It didn't look   
like anyone was guarding it. Yeah, the cops had always been idiots when she had   
lived there. Well, except for Katarine. The name stirred bad memories, which   
Mina proceeded to try and ignore. She ran back to the others to tell them about   
the opening.  
"So, the baddie blew a hole in the wall and ran," Michael said. "Let's   
capitalize on it."  
"Let's go over there and see if there are any clues as to where to go to   
find it," Luna said. Mina led them to the hole in the wall, and Amy changed the   
computer to scan the area for strange energy signatures.  
"Just as I thought! There are high amounts of droid energy around here!"   
Amy said.  
"Great, another Negaverse goon to take care of," Serena said.  
"Ah, we've got this one," Michael said. "We got Rubeus, didn't we?"  
"Don't get cocky," Luna said. "They know that we're causing them trouble,   
so they're probably going to send someone stronger than him. And remember how   
much trouble he gave us."  
"All right! All right!" Michael sighed. "Let's just follow the trail to   
find them. Then, can we go home?"  
They followed the trail of energy left behind by the droid through the   
city. The Scouts walked along the streets, not wanting to draw attention. The   
trail was across the tops of buildings, leading towards Leicester Square. At   
one point, the energy trail was extremely concentrated. The droid must have   
camped there until it was safer to move. They hoped that the creature wouldn't   
attack the large crowd that most of the time bustled around the streets of and   
around Leicester Square.  
"All right, the trail leads this way," Amy said. "It's probably been here   
in the past five minutes."  
"Well, where is it now?" Michael said. Amy looked around and walked in   
the direction that her computer indicated. They came to an alleyway near some   
construction.  
"It should be somewhere around here," Amy said. "The trail of energy   
leads to the top of this building. I say we should transform now."  
"Good idea," Luna said.  
"Mercury Power Transformation!"  
"Mars Power Transformation!"  
"Jupiter Star Power!"  
"Venus Star Power!"  
"Europa Power Transformation!"  
"Moon Crystal Power!"  
The Sailor Scouts began to climb the ladder, Luna leading the way. All of   
the Scouts looked up the whole time. An attack from above would be extremely   
difficult to defend. When they reached the top, Luna peeked over the edge.   
There was nothing there.  
"Mercury, I thought that you said they were up here," Luna said down the   
ladder.  
"That's what my computer said," Mercury said. They climbed to the roof   
and looked around cautiously. "Well, even computers can be wrong sometimes."  
  
"Look at those stupid Scouts!" Rubeus gloated. "I've got their crystal,   
and they can't even do anything about it! Droid Windbag, I've got a mission for   
you! Go get those Sailor Scouts!"  
"Yes, Lord Rubeus!" the droid said, jumping through the portal that   
opened behind it.  
  
"Well, the computer says that it was here at one time, but a portal opened   
up. It must have already escaped," Mercury said.  
"Damn!" Europa exclaimed. "So, we came all this way for nothing?"  
"Yup," Moon said. "Can we go do something fun now?"  
"What, this isn't fun?" Jupiter said with a tone in her voice that   
answered her own question.  
"We've got to figure out a way to get that crystal!" Luna said.  
"Luna, we can't open up the portal. We don't have the power," Mercury   
said. "Plus, we don't know where it goes. If we went there, we could be in   
extreme danger. You of all people should know that we can't do that." Across   
the roof from them, another portal opened. A droid jumped out, ready for   
battle. She had large wings and feet like a bird.  
"Mercury! Get what information you can from that portal!" Artemis   
exclaimed. Mercury typed away at her computer and activated her VR visor.  
"Meanwhile, I think I'll... Jupiter Thunderclap Zap!" Jupiter exclaimed,   
letting loose with her attack. The droid jumped out of the way, letting the   
attack fly freely into a nearby building.  
"Whoops!" Jupiter said. The portal closed, causing Mercury to flinch.  
"Umm, Jupiter? Try not to do that again," Moon said. "We're trying not   
to blow stuff up."  
"Sorry! I can't exactly control my attacks," Jupiter said.  
"Well, I can!" Venus said. "Venus Love Chain, Encircle!" Venus called,   
throwing the love-chain at the droid. The droid caught it and pulled Venus off-  
balance, sending her to the ground.  
"Blow off, Sailor Scouts! Master Rubeus wants you dead, you know!"   
Windbag called out, inhaling deeply. Her chest expanded as more air filled her   
lungs.  
"This doesn't look good," Europa said. "Europa Earth Spike!" Underneath   
the droid, large spikes of earth rose up, disrupting the droid's concentration.   
The air stored in its chest rushed out, swirling the air and picking the Scouts   
up.  
"Oh, for pete's sake, if Sailor Scouts were meant to fly, we'd have been   
given wings!" Mercury exclaimed. "Mercury Blizzard, Blast!" A pillar of   
pelting ice pellets flew from Mercury's hands, hitting the droid and freezing it   
in place momentarily. Unfortunately, the rush of air stopped when the enemy   
did. The Scouts fell, landing with a painful thud.  
"Sailor Moon, take it out!" Mars exclaimed.  
"I can barely move," Moon groaned back.  
"Oh, all right! I'll get it!" Mars said, standing up and taking out her   
sword. "Mars Sword, give me the power to destroy this enemy! Holy Sword,   
SLASH!" The wave of energy flew from the sword, cutting the droid in half. It   
disintegrated, leaving only its darkened crystal behind. "Mars-dusted!" Mars   
exclaimed.  
"Hey, you stole my saying," Moon said weakly, trying to get up.  
"Crap, that hurt," Europa said. "Mercury, did you get anything?"  
"No, it wasn't open for long enough. But that's the same energy signature   
that Rubeus used," Mercury said.  
"And it said that Rubeus wanted us dead," Jupiter replied.  
"Well, if it looks like Rubeus, and it smells like Rubeus, then it must be   
Rubeus," Venus said. "Great. Just when you thought it was safe to save the   
universe..."  
"Okay, we've taken care of this mission," Moon said. "Can we have some   
fun now?"  
"Serena..." Luna said. "Leave it to you to want to have fun when you can   
barely stand up."  
"Hey, I've got my priorities!" Serena said. She was at least sitting up   
at the moment.  
"All right," Luna said, exasperated. "It's only been three hours, so you   
can have three more. We'll be waiting down there at that big fountain. Make   
sure to be there on time." After a short rest, the Scouts were ready to go. In   
the distance, sirens from police cars were getting closer.  
"Come on, guys! The cops are coming! And I doubt they'll like it if they   
find us here," Venus said. "Trust me, they won't like it. Just jump a couple   
of rooftops over and climb down. I'll be along in a few minutes." Venus walked   
to the edge and watched the police cars make their way through the traffic. As   
they got closer, she gave a dramatic pose. As they got out of the car, she gave   
a quick speech. "It's nice to be back at home, if only for a while! I'm the   
Sailor Soldier of Love and Beauty, Code Name Sailor V!" She wondered if she   
could see Katarine, but she figured that she should get moving unless she wanted   
to give a nice talk to the chief of police. She jumped behind the others to a   
nearby rooftop and down into the nearby alleyway. After looking around to see   
that they weren't seen, they reverted.  
"So, you want to take a look around, Lita? Looks like there'd be some   
interesting stuff around here," Michael said.  
"Sure, Michael! Why don't we go take a look in some of the stores?" Lita   
said.  
"Shopping?! I'm so there!" Serena said, following them around the corner.  
"So, Amy, what do you want to do?" Raye asked.  
"Well, there's some interesting sights around here," Amy said. "Trafalgar   
Square's near here if you want to go."  
"That'd be cool!" Raye said, walking away with Amy.  
"Aren't you going with them?" Luna asked Mina.  
"No, I've got some stuff I think I should do before I go," Mina said,   
walking away. She'd need to visit some places and people.  
  
An hour later, Mina stood outside of a warehouse. She remembered this   
place. One of the worst moments of her life had happened there. Even in one of   
her better moments, a tinge of sadness pushed its way into her mind.  
"So, how have you and Alan made out since then?" Mina asked.  
"Well, it's been pretty nice," Katarine said. "We tried writing you, but   
you didn't leave any address."  
"Well, I wasn't sure of it myself. And what about you? Your police   
resources not enough to find a simple middle-school student?" Mina asked,   
grinning. Katarine laughed softly.  
"So, what's going on with you now?" Katarine asked.  
"Well, not much. Just going to school as usual," Mina said. "Life's been   
boring since I moved. I've met some nice friends in Japan, and they're here in   
London with me. I had a boyfriend for a while a short time ago, but I broke up   
with him. We're still friends."  
"That's good," Katarine said. "Of course, I'm sure it's awkward with   
something like that. Feelings can be a mind-boggling thing."  
"I'm not too happy with it, myself. He's still got a crush on me. And a   
fair number of other girls," Mina said.  
"Oh, one of THOSE guys," Katarine said, grinning. "Don't worry. Once he   
finds someone new, he'll forget all about you. If that's what you want."  
"Well, I still want to be friends with him," Mina said. "I just get   
discouraged sometimes." It's almost like what Ace told me was coming true, she   
said to herself.  
"Oh, don't get discouraged," Katarine said. "I didn't, and I've got   
Alan." Ouch, Mina thought.  
"I guess you're right," Mina said. "I'll keep at it. I'm sure I'll come   
across some guy, as long as I keep trying! So, you want to go take a look   
around for a while? I've got a few hours."  
"Sure, I've got some free time! Where to?" Katarine said.  
  
Lita looked on the back wall of the "Imperial Honor" store. She wished   
that she could understand English a bit better, considering that they were in   
England. Michael was having a nice time looking at the trinkets on display in   
the few stores where they had been. Unfortunately, he had also been working   
hard to prevent Serena from breaking everything she tried showing him. After   
Serena got bored and went outside to wait, Michael went back to Lita.  
"Well, we've got about an hour left," Michael said.  
"Yeah, that's plenty of time to look around," Lita said. "I've always   
wanted to come here to London. I've just heard the greatest stories, and I   
never thought I'd be really going here! It makes me wish we could have spent   
some more time in Paris yesterday."  
"Well, London's a nice place. I've been here before, so I know what it's   
like," Michael said. "So, do you see anything that you want?"  
"Well, this little castle is cute, but I don't have enough money for it,"   
Lita said.  
Yes! Michael said to himself. "Well, I can help you out with that! I've   
got plenty of money, and I've already got plenty of souvenirs from my first   
time."  
"Thanks, Mike!" Lita said, walking to the register.  
"So, are you feeling a bit hungry? It's almost dinner time, after all,   
and I know of a nice place around here that we can get some food," Michael said.  
"Sure, we can go get some food somewhere," Lita said. "But do you have   
enough money for Serena?"  
"Yeah, but she'll have to keep her dessert choices to two dishes," Michael   
said, grinning. Great, Michael thought, as long as I can keep this up for a   
couple of weeks, I might have a chance with Lita.  
"I'll try to keep my own appetite in check," Lita said, laughing.   
Outside, Serena was looking into the windows of other stores, admiring the   
souvenirs.  
"I wish I had some money to buy something," Serena said. "Or that Darien   
was here so that he could buy it for me. That's it, I'll come back here with   
him later on and then he can buy me what I want!"  
"That's the right attitude, Serena!" Michael said. "We're going for some   
food. Want to come with us?"  
"GREAT! Where we going?" Serena exclaimed.  
"Oh, just a nice little place I went to last time I was here," Michael   
said. "They've got some great food for good prices." They walked down the   
street and into a nearby café.  
  
End of part 3  
  
Well, that was interesting. In one fell swoop, I've prolonged my series   
another chapter or two and demonstrated that I know nothing about Mina before   
she joined the Scouts. Well, if you've got any specific complaints about the   
section with Mina and Katarine, then just remember that I'm using my good   
friend, Writer's Prerogative. I'm using the garbled information that I've   
gotten from Sailor V websites and my Sailor V manga (in French), so I may have   
no frickin' clue what I'm doing. :-) Oh, well. Talk to you next time!  
  
Author's E-mail: jmh6187@uncwil.edu 


	4. Tropical Thunderstorm

Well, I'm back at the keyboard for chapter four of my fanfic series,   
Missing Crystals. I'm having real fun now, trying to figure out where in the   
hell I'm going with this... I've already gotten an idea of what I'm going to do   
after this series is over. I'm going to do a counter-part to the extraordinary   
fanfic series by Eric "Greywolf" den Biesen and Douglas Helms and (to a lesser   
extent) Will Wolfshohl, "Adventures of the Chibi-Scouts," called, "Life in a Big   
World." Yeah, I'll come up with a better name when I can think of one myself.   
It'll be about the adventures of the younger parts in the older Scouts' world.   
I felt that was rather neglected, and it would involve some fairly interesting   
situations. I only hope that I can make it as good as they did their series.   
And if any of those three are reading this and have any   
objections/suggestions/insults to fling my way (yeah, as if; I'm lucky if I get   
five hits in as many months), then just use the E-mail addy at the end of each   
chapter of this series.  
Also, I'm going to try and finish off some MSTings that I've had sitting   
around for a while. Like "Two Heads" and that big SPC bunch.  
Anyway, I don't own Sailor Moon the series, or any of the characters from   
the aforementioned series. I am, however, the person who came up with the   
characters of Michael Cross/Sailor Europa and Jennifer Hino (who, sadly enough,   
isn't in this series that much; what do you expect? the Scouts are traveling   
across the globe). If you want to use them, just ask. Anyway, time to get on   
with this.  
  
Missing Crystals  
Part 4: Tropical Thunderstorm  
  
Serena dragged her pencil across her paper, trying in vain to remember   
what she and Michael had gone over in class before the test. Amy hadn't been   
willing to help her. "You should be more responsible with studying when we're   
not doing Scout business," she had said. Serena didn't even know why she   
bothered to ask these days; she always got the same answer. Michael was nice to   
her, at least. He'd give her the basics that she needed to know and send her on   
her merry way. Too bad she couldn't actually remember what he had told her.  
"Time's up," Ms. Haruna said from her seat at the front of the class.   
Serena's head fell to the desk. She had only done ten problems out of thirty!  
"This is gonna hurt," Serena said to herself as she passed her paper up.   
As she sat in her misery, the bell for lunch rang. She walked outside with her   
lunch bag in hand to the place where she and the others usually ate and sat down   
dejectedly to wait for them.  
"So, Rena, how do you think you did?" Michael said, sitting down beside   
her. "Did my little coach session help out any?" Amy sat down beside Serena,   
leaving a space between her and Michael for Lita.  
"I only answered a third of the questions," Serena sighed.  
"You see, that's why I stopped helping her long ago," Amy said. "You just   
end up confusing her more. She answers fewer questions when you try to help her   
than she does without help."  
"Ahhh, I'll keep that in mind for the future," Michael said.  
"Come on, that's not always true!" Serena said. "Please help me!"  
"We'll try helping you at our study sessions, but not just before class,"   
Michael said. "Right, Ames?" Amy nodded in agreement.  
"All right," Serena said, biting into her dessert. Lita sat walked up and   
sat down in the spot Amy had left for her.  
"Hey, guys! How's it going?" Lita said, opening her lunch-bag.  
"Not very well," Serena said through a mouthful of cookie crumbs. "I just   
bombed another test. And I could have sworn that I had studied hard enough..."  
"Well, that's too bad," Lita said. "I just had to do a class assignment   
with some guy who didn't want to do any of the work."  
"Gods, I hate it when that happens," Michael said. "That used to happen   
all the time when I was at my old school. I got mostly used to it after a   
while, but it always left me wanting to strangle someone."  
"Yeah, that's the American Public School system for you," Lita said.  
"Well, it was hardly the school system that had the problem," Michael   
said. "I'd say it was more the kids' fault. The schools can't control peoples'   
minds, only what they learn. And I thought that they taught enough for my   
liking."  
"Funny, most of the Japanese kids that I know of who know anything about   
the American school systems say that they're nothing compared to our own," Amy   
said.  
"Well, if you ask me, this school system isn't that good in that respect,"   
Michael said. "I mean, they held me back because of age. Now, I already know   
everything that I'm being taught."  
"I'm surprised that they would do that," Amy said. "I would expect them   
to move you to where your level of knowledge was appropriate." She paused,   
grinning as she considered her own situation. "Anyway, I'd say that there's   
probably something for you to learn in this grade, and they know it. I know   
I've learned from everything we've done this year, even if I already knew it."  
"I hate wasting time on easy crap. I mean, this algebra crap almost makes   
me want to find Rubeus and take him on for a couple of rounds," Michael said.  
"Well, you're going to have to get the chance," Luna said quietly from the   
bushes.  
"How long have you been there?" Michael asked.  
"Just a few minutes. Long enough to hear about your test, Serena," Luna   
said. "Your mother really won't like that, you know. I told you to study for   
it when we got back the other night."  
"But I did! I read over all of my notes a second time, just to make   
sure!" Serena said.  
"Serena, you don't take notes," Michael said. "I watch you during class,   
and you scribble half the time and write notes to Molly the other half."  
"Traitor," Serena mumbled under her breath as Luna gave her a nasty look   
that promised a stern talking-to later.  
"Look, we've got important business to tend do this afternoon," Luna said.   
"This afternoon, we're going to have to go after two crystals at once."  
"What, are two crystals in the same place?" Lita asked.  
"No, we're splitting up into two groups: One to find Lita's crystal, and   
the other to find Serena's," Luna said. "We were thinking of the teams going a   
little something like Serena, Amy, and Raye looking for Serena's in Chicago and   
Michael, Lita, and Mina looking for Lita's crystal in Nassau."  
"How did that crystal get there, anyway?" Lita asked.  
"We're not really sure," Luna said. "The best that we can think is that   
it was placed there at the end of the Silver Millennium, found by the people and   
brought to the surface. Frankly, we're surprised that it's still there after   
such a long time. I'd have thought it sold off to some foreign country or   
mounted and sold as jewelry. Something of the like."  
"Well, let's not ask questions, shall we? We'll take our luck and work   
with it," Michael said. He took another bite out of his tuna sandwich.  
"Luna, have you thought through the time differences in these places?" Amy   
asked. "If we leave here at 6:00 for Chicago and Nassau, then it'll be 4:00   
a.m. and 5:00 a.m., respectively."  
"Yes, Amy, you're right. We were planning on leaving later than that,"   
Luna said. "You'd have to tell your parents that you're sleeping over at, say,   
Lita's house for the night. I hate having you all lie to your parents, but   
we'll have to to be able to do this mission."  
"Well, how are we going to split into two groups if we have to do the   
Scout Teleport to get there?" Lita asked.  
"Well, since you're more powerful with the crystals, all six of you can   
make it to Nassau, and three of you can make it to Chicago. Afterwards, Serena,   
Amy, and Raye can teleport back to meet you at Nassau. Hopefully, you'll all   
have the crystals, and by the time you get back, we'll try to have some idea of   
how to get to Rubeus and take back Mina's crystal." The bell to end lunch rang.  
"Great, and I haven't even had time to finish my lunch," Serena said. She   
quickly shoved as much of what was left into her mouth as she could before   
walking into class.  
"Bye, Lita!" Michael said, walking to class.  
"Later, Mike!" she returned.  
  
After class, Michael waked towards home to get a nap. Halfway to his   
house, Lita caught up with him.  
"Hey, Michael!" she called out, running to catch him.  
"Hi, Lita! What ya' need?" Michael asked.  
"Well, I was wondering if you'd help me study," Lita said, half out of   
breath. "I've got a test the day after tomorrow in science, and I needed a bit   
of help studying."  
"Sure, I can help you," Michael said. "So, why not ask Amy? Just out of   
curiosity, I mean. It's not like I don't want to help you, or anything."  
"She's busy tonight with homework and working out a few things for our   
mission," Lita replied. "Besides, I figured that it might be better if I made   
sure that you got out to the mission on time."  
"Come on, have I ever been late before?" Michael asked.  
"No, but how many missions have you been on?" Lita said, smiling.  
"Oh, I'm hurt!" Michael said, holding his arm.  
"Oh, hush and let's get going," Lita said. "I've got a lot of stuff to   
cover and not much time to cover it in."  
"What, I didn't tell you I've got a time machine at my place?" Michael   
asked.  
"Right," Lita said. "And I've got a plot of swamp land in Kyushu to sell   
you."  
"Is it cheap?" Michael asked. They walked to Michael's house for   
studying. When they walked in the door, Michael's mom came to talk to them.  
"Hey, mom," Michael said, trying to walk past her. It didn't work.  
"Oh, hello, Michael! Who's this you've got with you?" she asked. "Might   
this be the Mina you've been talking about?"  
"No, actually, this is another of my friends, Lita," Michael said.  
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Lita!" Michael's mom said. "I wish you had   
told us that your friend was coming over, Michael. The house is a mess."  
"Well, it was kind of a last minute thing for me, too," Michael said.  
"Really, it's all right, Mrs. Cross," Lita said. "My own place is pretty   
dirty."  
"Trust me, whatever's the case in your apartment, I've got it beat in my   
room alone," Michael said, showing her the way. He stayed behind to get some   
snacks. "Now, I don't think I mentioned it, but Mina broke up with me the other   
day. Yes, I should have mentioned it. My apologies. Now, I'm going to be   
helping her to study some science for a while."  
"All right, Michael," Mrs. Cross said. "Will your friend be staying for   
dinner?"  
"Actually, I need to ask you about that," Michael said. "The others and I   
are going to be having a study session over at her place tonight. I'm wondering   
if there'd be any problem with me going."  
"Would any adults be there?" Mrs. Cross asked.  
"Mrs. Hino, Raye's mom would be there," Michael replied.  
"Well, all right. I'm all right with it, but you may want to make sure   
it's all right with your father."  
"I'll ask him a bit later," Michael said, taking the drinks and food into   
his room. "Talk to you later, mom."  
  
Lita walked into the room that Michael had directed her to. There was no   
doubt that it was his. The posters of science fiction-type settings and the   
computer that sat running on the desk across the room from the bed. Piles of   
papers and magazines littered the floor beside the bed, which was unmade. The   
computer didn't surprise her. He seemed like the sort of guy who'd have a   
computer. She moved the mouse to wake it up. He had some writing on the screen   
in English. She wished that she was up on her English class. Maybe she could   
get him to help her with that, too. Just looking over the paragraph, she   
noticed her name and some of the others. He must have been keeping a journal.   
Reading a bit, she got that he was writing about his own feelings. It was   
kind of odd, since he always seemed to be holding something back at school.  
She decided to leave it alone. Michael probably wouldn't like it if he   
found her looking through his journal. She sat down on the bed and waited for   
him to walk in. She wondered what he was saying about her and the others.   
After he had gotten a haircut a while back, she had begun to notice that he was   
kind of cute. Not quite as cute as her old boyfriend, but still...  
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Michael said, walking in. "Would you like a   
little something to snack on?"  
"Sure, Mike! Thanks!" Lita said. "I was getting a bit hungry."  
"So, what are we working on?" Michael asked.  
"Well, like I said, I've got some science to study for a test. We're   
studying chemistry right now, so maybe you can help me. And I was thinking that   
you might be able to help me a bit with my English."  
"Yeah, I can help you with the English," Michael said. "And I'm not too   
sure about the chemistry. I'll do what I can, but it's been a while since I   
worked with chemistry."  
"Funny, I thought it had been only a couple of days," Lita joked.  
"What do you mean?" Michael asked, puzzled.  
"I mean the chemistry between you and Mina," Lita replied, laying back on the bed.  
"Ha! I'd prefer not to think about it," Michael said.  
"So, what happened with you two, anyway?" Lita asked.  
"Nothing big. The two of us just thought that it would be better if we   
stopped going out," Michael said.  
"Okay, I can see that," Lita said. "So, are you okay with the whole   
thing? I mean, I remember when Darien broke up with Serena, and when she found   
out that he couldn't remember her, and she was really crushed."  
"No, I'm fine. I mean, Serena and I are different like that. It's not   
like it didn't hurt, but I'll live," Michael said, grinning. Wow, he thought.   
Lita cares about my feelings. Question is, was that from friendship? Yeah,   
probably. He doubted that she felt that way quite yet. He'd take some more   
time and see what he could work up.  
"Well, that's good. I wouldn't want you pigging out all night long and   
moping about all day like Serena," Lita said. Looking at him now, she noticed   
that he was pretty cute when he smiled. She blushed a bit. Michael looked up,   
noticed her blushing, and smiled. Lita looked down at her book. "So, should we   
get started?" Lita asked.  
"Yeah, sure," Michael said, turning the book right-side up.  
"So, what's that on the computer?" Lita asked.  
"Oh, it's nothing really interesting, just something I use to organize my   
thoughts," Michael said. "I sometimes take some of the stuff I write in there   
and use it to write stories."  
"You write stories?" Lita asked.  
"Yeah, just a little something for fun," Michael said. "Anyway, we should   
be studying now. How about we work on the English first and the chemistry   
later? Sound good?"  
"Yeah, that's cool," Lita said.  
  
"Hey, Mina! What's in the backpack?" Raye asked. They had all gathered   
again at the Temple for the mission that night.  
"Oh, nothing important," Mina said nervously. "Just a little something   
for after we've finished our mission."  
"Lemme guess, you brought a swimsuit and suntan lotion?" Raye asked. Mina   
whistled innocently. "I wish I was staying in Nassau with you guys. But no,   
I've got to go with Meatball head. Well, at least Amy'll be with us."  
"You know, it's not like I'm completely useless, Raye," Serena said.  
"Not at all! I'm sure you'd make a nice door-stop if we wanted you to,"   
Raye teased.  
"Oooh, Raye, you're mean! I'm not speaking to you for the rest of the   
trip!" Serena said.  
"Thanks for doing me a favor!" Raye exclaimed, sticking out her tongue.  
"Hey! Then I'll just talk to you non-stop for the rest of the time,   
brat!" Serena exclaimed, sticking out her own tongue.  
"This is going to be real fun," Amy sighed. "You're sure that we can't   
switch Michael with Raye on this one, Luna?"  
"I think that it would work better this way," Luna said. "You're going to   
be in the middle of Chicago, so Earth-powered attacks won't be too good of an   
idea. Your ice and fire attacks are contained enough to minimize potential   
damage." The staring match was ended when Michael and Lita walked up the steps   
of the Temple, Lita carrying her books.  
"Hey, guys, what took you so long?" Mina asked. "Not like we're trying to   
get this over with or anything."  
"Well, we would have been here quicker, but my mom held us up," Michael   
said.  
"Your mom held both of you up?" Raye asked.  
"Yeah, she's always got to have all the information," Michael said.   
"Then, we had to give Jennifer a call to make sure she knew what was going on.   
You know, just a bunch of stuff."  
"Michael, I've got a little something to give you," Luna said. She   
produced from her subspace pocket a small device that she handed to Michael.   
"This will help you to locate the crystal when you get there, since Amy will be   
elsewhere."  
"Thanks, Luna!" Michael said.  
"So, are we ready to go?" Raye asked, taking out her transformation wand.  
"You bet!" Serena said.  
"Hey, is Darien coming with us?" Michael asked, looking around for their   
tuxedoed companion.  
"Did anybody tell him about the mission?" Lita asked. Everybody shook   
their heads.  
"Oh, well, his loss!" Michael said. They all walked into the back area to   
transform. Michael held Mina back to talk to her. "Mina, do you think you   
could put this in with your stuff?" He handed her his swimming trunks, a   
blanket, and some sun screen.  
"Sure, Mike!" Mina said, opening the backpack. The two rejoined the   
others quickly, so as not to arouse any suspicion.  
"Mercury Power Transformation!"  
"Mars Power Transformation!"  
"Jupiter Star Power!"  
"Venus Star Power!"  
"Europa Power Transformation!"  
"Moon Crystal Power!"  
As the light faded, the Scouts stood there, freezing as usual. They   
gathered together quickly to perform the Scout Teleport. A few moments later,   
they were gone. Luna and Artemis watched after them, then laid down to get some   
sleep.  
  
The sun shone down on the Sailor Scouts as they appeared in an alley of   
the tropical port city of Nassau. The weather was considerably warmer than it   
had been in Tokyo, much to the relief of the girls. Michael, Mina, and Lita   
reverted and watched as Mercury, Moon, and Mars teleported to their own   
destination.  
"Great, they're gone!" Michael said. "Now, let's find this crystal quick   
so that we can have some fun."  
"Fun?" Lita asked. "Let me guess, you two brought swimming stuff for the   
beach."  
"Of course!" Mina said. "Would I pass up a chance to go to the beach and   
miss out on the guys there? Never! I'd never deprive them of the chance to   
meet me!"  
"Funny, why doesn't that surprise me?" Michael asked, grinning. He took   
out the locator that Luna had given him and turned it on. It indicated that the   
crystal was about a mile north from where they were.  
"All right, guys, let's go!" Michael said, leading the way. As they   
walked along the strip of road, the small stalls of people selling things to   
tourists drew Mina's attention constantly. The array of colorful jewelry and   
novelty items were too much for her to resist. Unfortunately, she had a job to   
do, and that took precedence over shopping. She'd have plenty of time for   
shopping later on.  
Michael walked along, periodically checking the locator to make sure he   
was headed in the right way. He worked hard to ignore the vendors' cries for   
business as he walked down the road. Eventually, in following the direction of   
the crystal, he reached sand.  
"Michael, I thought you said that we were coming to the beach after we   
found the crystal," Lita said.  
"I did. Apparently, the machine says differently," Michael replied.  
"I wish the machine would stop tempting me," Mina said. She covered her   
eyes to prevent her from seeing anything that would make her stray off from the   
others. Lita grabbed on to an arm and lead her along the sandy stretch.  
Michael turned and stopped at the edge of the water. "Okay, this is bad,"   
Michael said. "It's out there somewhere." A pause fell over the group.  
"So, anyone know how to scuba dive?" Mina asked. No one did. "Well, I   
say we sit down, or lay down, for a while and think real hard."  
"You know, guys, if I'm reading this right, the crystal's moving towards   
us," Michael said, looking at the locator.  
"That's odd, unless someone's gotten to it before us," Lita said. Michael   
gave a start and strained to watch the horizon, seeing if he could see what was   
moving the crystal. The only thing that he could see was a shark fin sticking   
out of the water, moving towards the shore.  
"Ummm, it looks like a shark's gotten it," Michael said. "But how?"  
"Ten bucks says it's a droid," Lita said, bringing out her transformation   
wand.  
"That's a bet that I'm not making," Michael replied, taking out his   
crystal. When the fin was ten yards away from the shore, the creature jumped   
out of the water, flying through the air. The large shark-like creature with   
arms and lands landed on the beach just behind them. In its hand was the   
emerald that must have been Lita's crystal.  
"That's what we're looking for," Lita said.  
"Well, you're not getting it!" the Droid replied. "I'm Droid   
Chondrichthes, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!" The droid pointed   
her hand to the sky, and beams shot out of it in all directions. People began   
to scatter, trying to avoid the shots from the droid's hand. As one person got   
up to run, he was hit by a beam. All that remained of him was a large fish   
laying on the beach.  
"Oh, this'll be fun," Lita said. "Jupiter star power!"  
"Europa power transformation!"  
"Venus star power!"  
"The beach is a place for relaxation and fun on a warm day!" Venus   
exclaimed. "You have destroyed the tranquility with your frigid evil, and I   
cannot forgive-!" she was silenced when a shot from the droid's hand hit her. A   
fish stood in her place a moment later.  
"Oh, you're gonna pay for that one, bitch!" Europa exclaimed, running   
towards Chondrichthes. As he was about to kick her, she jumped high into the   
air and threw sharks-teeth at him. "Now, Jupiter!" Europa called. He winced   
and screamed as the sharks teeth cut him across the chest.  
"Jupiter Thunderclap Zap!" Jupiter yelled out, sending a wave of   
electricity through the body of the droid. As it wracked with pain, the crystal   
fell to the ground, where Jupiter picked it up. "Jupiter Power Transformation!"   
Jupiter stood a moment later, with silver armor studded with emeralds. She held   
a sword, similar to Mars' own.  
Chondrichthes threw sharks teeth at Jupiter, who deflected them with her   
sword. The droid shot her fish beam at Jupiter. "Jupiter Shield Defend!" A   
small shield appeared on her arm, sending the beam off in a different direction.   
Unfortunately, it hit someone else.  
"Sorry! I need more practice," Jupiter exclaimed, as if the fish could   
understand her.  
"Europa Earth Spike!" Europa yelled. The earth erupted from beneath   
Chondrichthes, sending her flying through the sky. She looked back and shot a   
beam at Europa. Europa jumped quickly out of the way and redirected some shards   
of hard rock back at the droid. They hit her across the face, stunning her.   
"Take her out, Jupiter!"  
"Jupiter Sword, give me the power to destroy this evil," Jupiter said.   
"Jupiter Holy Sword, SLASH!"  
The sword flew around the droid a few times and slashed it in half. The   
two halves fell to the ground and disappeared, leaving a small crystal that   
turned black and disappeared. Michael reverted and ran to Venus, who laid   
unconscious and returned to human form after the droid had been destroyed.  
"Mina! Are you all right?!" he asked, sitting her up. He checked her   
pulse and held his hand over her mouth to check for breathing. "Well, she's   
alive. Lita, see if you can find some water to give her."  
"Michael, we're on a beach," Lita said.  
"Fresh water, Lita. For her to drink when she wakes up. I'd assume that   
being a fish out of water can work up a thirst," Michael replied. Mina groaned   
softly. "Mina, can you hear me?"  
"Crap, that hurt," Mina groaned. "Why have I been the one who's been   
picked on the past couple of days?"  
"Darned if I know," Michael replied. "But we got Lita's crystal. Now,   
for future reference, that's why I don't make speeches."  
"Makes sense," Mina replied. She looked up and saw Michael's cut chest.   
"Michael, you're hurt! Are you okay?"  
"I'm fine," Michael replied. "I just need a couple of bandages and a   
quick rinse, and I'll be fine."  
"It could be a while until we get those," Mina replied. "And you need   
something right now. It looks like a pretty deep cut from where I am."  
"Just something to cover it up," Michael objected. "It doesn't even   
hurt!"  
"The instant the others get here, we're going home to get some help," Lita   
said. "I don't want you dropping dead on us from loss of blood. At any rate,   
Michael, lay down until the others get here."  
"Well, let me at least put some sunscreen on," Michael said. "The sun's   
strong today."  
Mina perked up at the reminder. "Hey, that's right! We've completed our   
mission! I'm going to have some fun!" She stood up shakily to walk over to   
where she had dropped her backpack.  
"Mina, you need rest, too," Michael said. "You can barely stand, let   
alone party on the beach."  
"But the cute guys!" Mina insisted.  
"If I may say so, I think you've got one right here," Michael replied.  
"Where?" Mina joked, looking around. She staggered to her backpack and   
sat down to open it.  
"Mina, lay down," Lita said. "Just take a little nap. We finished this   
mission so quickly that we'll probably have plenty of time left to have fun   
before the others get here."  
"Yeah, we all know how long it takes those three to get anything done,"   
Michael said. "Well, excepting Amy."  
"All right, just give me a couple of minutes," Mina said. She pulled out   
her towel and laid it out. After applying sunscreen and changing into her   
swimsuit in a nearby public bathroom (which she didn't at all think clean), she   
laid out for a short nap.  
Michael had sprawled out on a towel and applied lotion, as well. "So,   
Lita, you're out of luck?"  
"Well, I can lay out for a while with you guys," Lita replied. "I won't   
be too bored."  
"Yeah, join us," Michael said. "The beach isn't much fun without other   
people around to enjoy it with."  
"Well, you've got Mina," Lita said.  
"It's nice to have as many friends around as possible," Michael replied.   
Lita smiled and leaned over to hug Michael.  
"Thanks. That's a nice thing to say, Mike," Lita replied. She sat down   
between Michael and Mina to watch the scenery and enjoy the weather while they   
waited for the others to get there. Just then, the communicator went off.  
  
End Part 4  
  
Well, that's all for this part. I hope you enjoyed it if you lasted   
through the whole thing. Well, I'll be getting on with the next part of this.   
It shouldn't last much longer, since I want to get on to other projects that   
I've got planned. As usual, E-mail me at jmh6187@uncwil.edu. I'd appreciate   
C&C, suggestions, but not flames. 


	5. Crystal Clear Reception

Missing Crystals  
Part 5: Crystal Clear Reception  
  
Original Flavor SM fanfic by: M.H. Torringjan  
  
Okay, well, here's the next part of my Missing Crystals series. I'm not   
sure really where I'm going with this, but at least I'm doing it to get it out   
of my head. I hope that you're enjoying reading this fic series (well, if   
you've gotten this far, then either you're enjoying it or you're MSTing it). As   
soon as I've finished this one, then I can finish my Two Heads MSTing, and then,   
I'll get started on the counter series to ACS. Or not. I've got too much   
material stored up in my head anyway.  
Now, just to state it and not get in trouble for it, I do not own Sailor   
Moon. I am only using the characters thereof to write a series of stories for   
fun. There is no profit involved in this endeavor. There are two characters   
that I've made up for this and past series, although only one of them is of any   
importance at this point in the series. One is Michael Cross/Sailor Europa, and   
the other is Jennifer Hino. Any random products mentioned during the course of   
this fanfic are the property of their respective owners. Now, if there is   
nothing else, then...  
  
Sailors Moon, Mars, and Mercury emerged on the top of a tall building in   
the middle of Chicago. A radio tower stood beside them, indicating a radio   
station somewhere below. The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon in   
the distance, slowly warming the air around them.  
"Well, at least it's warmer here," Moon said. "Can we get down from here   
and get on with this? I want to get back and get on the beach for a while."  
"This may take shorter than we had thought," Mercury said. "My computer   
says that it's right below us about ten floors."  
"What time is it here?" Mars asked.  
"It's about nine in the morning," Mercury replied.  
"Man, somebody's been coming in to work early," Mars said. On the street   
below, cars rolled slowly along towards their own works. Moon could hear a   
motorcycle revving its motor, as though it could go anywhere anytime soon.  
"Let's go through that door over there and see what's going on with this   
crystal," Moon said, reverting. Mars and Mercury did the same and followed her   
to the doorway. As soon as she pushed the door open, a loud bell began ringing.  
"Meatball-head! You must have set off a fire alarm!" Raye exclaimed.  
"Guys, the crystal is moving," Amy said. "It's going downstairs."  
"We should take the fire escape to get down," Amy said. "Fewer people   
will see us that way." The three ran to the fire escape and began the climb   
down it. At each level, Amy would peek through the windows to be sure that no   
one saw them. Getting arrested would be an incredibly bad thing, since their   
crystals would be taken and they'd have to explain to their parents why they had   
to be bailed out of a jail in Chicago. They'd also have to explain how they got   
there in the first place, which would be an even greater pain. When they   
reached the bottom, they jumped to the ground and walked around to the front of   
the building.  
"Amy, can you find where it is?" Raye asked.  
"Yeah, I can," Amy said, typing on her computer. After a few minutes, she   
pointed through the crowd to a tall woman with red hair.  
"Great, someone owns it," Serena said. "So, who's got the best English?"  
"Need you ask?" Raye asked. "Amy, you're going to have to talk to her   
about it."  
"Oh, come on, you two! I couldn't do that!" Amy exclaimed.  
"Amy, this isn't the time to be shy," Raye said.  
"All right, I'll give it a try," Amy replied wearily. She walked up to   
the woman and started talking in English. She was a bit shaky, but she seemed   
to be able to communicate her point well enough. "Excuse me, ma'am, this may   
sound odd, but do you have a crystals on you?"  
"You're right, that does sound weird. Unless, of course, you're a   
burglar. Then, it makes perfect sense, and I'll call the police," the woman   
said.  
"Oh, no, ma'am!" Amy replied. "I'm not a burglar! I'm sorry of bothering   
you!" She walked quickly back to Raye and Serena. "No luck, guys. She thought   
I was a burglar. Maybe it would work better if Sailor Mercury asked her."  
"Well, whatever happens, it better happen soon," Raye said. And, as   
though on cue, the people standing around began screaming. The Scouts peered   
around the corner and saw the crowd scattering as a Droid knocked the woman down   
and took the crystal.  
"Okay, guys, let's go!" Raye exclaimed. "Mars Power Transformation!"  
"Mercury Power Transformation!"  
"Moon Crystal Power!"  
The three Sailor Scouts emerged from the alleyway and ran to the Droid.   
Her head was shaped like a battery, with plug prongs for hands. She hit the   
woman again, knocking her out cold.  
"Stop right there!" Moon called. "That's my crystal, and we're going to   
get it from you, no matter what the cost! I'm Sailor Moon, and in the name of   
the Moon, I'll right wrongs and triumph over evil!"  
"Well, I'm Droid Zapper, and my prediction'll shock you! I'm getting out   
of here, and I'm taking the crystal with me!" Zapper said, turning to run. Mars   
jumped behind her to block her path. She drew her sword to emphasize her point.  
"You're not going anywhere, Volt-face," Mars said. Zapper turned to run   
down the closest alleyway, and Mercury jumped to obstruct her path.  
"Don't even think of running, Zapper!" Mercury exclaimed.  
"You're not getting away," Moon said.  
"Oh, I'm not, am I?" Zapper said. The Droid flipped a switch on her   
forehead, producing sparks between the prongs on her hands. "Try this!" She   
shot a beam of electricity from each of her hands towards Moon and Mars. The   
two assaulted Scouts jumped out of the way, as they would any time. "Gotcha!"   
Zapper exclaimed as she followed the Scouts midair and hit them with her   
electric beams.  
"Mercury Blizzard, Freeze!" Mercury exclaimed, letting a blast of icy-cold   
wind flow over the monster. The hands of the creature froze, stopping the flow   
of electricity through Moon and Mars. The two stood where they were, stunned by   
the shock they had received. Mars' metallic armor didn't help in the least.  
"Freeze my hands, will you?!" Zapper exclaimed. She pointed her hands to   
the top of her battery-shaped head. Energy began to focus at the positive end   
in a large, electric ball.  
"Oh, is that *really* necessary?" Mercury asked. "Mercury Icicle Jab!" A   
giant icicle appeared at the tip of her hands. The two threw their attacks at   
the same time, causing them to meet in the center and explode in a fantastic   
light show. "Guys, are you okay?"  
"Just fine," Mars said. She staggered to her feet to let loose with an   
attack of her own. "Mars Explosion Blast!" The resulting explosion threw   
Zapper into the wall of the radio building. When she was able to pull herself   
together and out of the side of the wall, an impression was left behind that   
would require some major work to repair.  
"I'm surprised that the building isn't falling on top of us," Mercury   
said. "Watch it with that attack, Mars!"  
"Sorry, she's just really getting on my nerves!" Mars yelled back. The   
fiery attack had reheated Zapper's frozen prongs to the point of melting. She   
was only able to retain their shape through sheer will-power. As the Scouts   
began to regroup, she waved her arms around lightly to free up the extension   
cords.  
"So, you want to play rough, do you?" Zapper said, flinging her extended   
arms towards the Scouts. They were barely able to dodge the red-hot prongs with   
their bodies intact. Mars jumped straight up in the air, returning to the   
ground with her sword out and in position to cut one of the hands off   
altogether. Her sword sliced cleanly through the thinner extension cord.   
Almost instantly, a liquid began to spray out of the wound. Mars and Moon had   
no idea what it was, but they didn't want to take a chance. They jumped out of   
the way of the unknown substance, and where it hit began to fizzle.  
"Watch out, you two! Batteries leak battery acid!" Mercury exclaimed,   
dodging out of the way of a spray of the lethal battery acid. "Mercury Blizzard   
Freeze!" A larger blast of cold air focused on Zapper, freezing her in place.   
"Sailor Moon, hit her now!"  
Moon pulled her Moon scepter out and prepared her attack. "Moon Scepter   
Elimination!" she called out, releasing all of her energy into the blast, which   
hit the paralyzed monster head on. When the smoke cleared, however, the monster   
still stood in place, frozen stiff. "Sorry, guys, guess it's not strong   
enough!" Moon exclaimed.   
"Mars sword, give me the power to destroy this evil," Mars chanted to the   
sword. "Mars Holy Sword Slash!" The sword flew at the monster, slashing it   
down the middle and leaving only a pile of moon-dust. Moon ran over to the pile   
of dust and began to sift through it, looking for her crystal. She pulled it   
out and looked at it closer. It was smaller than she had expected, mounted on a   
ring, but a very large one at that.  
"No, please, don't take it away!" the woman who "owned" it said weakly.  
"Ma'am, we need this crystal!" Mercury said in English to her.  
"But you can't! It's my engagement ring!" the woman exclaimed.  
"Oh, crap," Mercury said flatly. She relayed the information to the other   
Scouts, as well.  
"Please, return it right now!" the woman said.  
Serena looked longingly at the crystal for a moment. "Mercury, Mars, help   
her up. We need to take her somewhere that we can talk freely." The three   
Scouts led the woman to the top of the building, where they had been only a   
little while earlier.  
"Ma'am, we're very sorry about this," Mercury began. "What's your name?"  
"I'm Becky Linnings," the woman replied.  
"There has been some sort of mix-up involving your engagement ring. You   
see..." Mercury went on to explain to her the situation with the Silver   
Millennium and the Crystals, leaving out parts that she didn't think the woman   
should know or weren't important.  
"Wait, I have to give this ring up because it could help to save the   
world?" Becky said.  
"Yes, that's about it," Mercury said. "Moon, show her."  
Moon held the crystal high in true showy fashion. "Moon Power   
Transformation!" A few moments later, Moon stood in the same place with her new   
suit of armor on.  
"You see, ma'am, this item can make us stronger and allow us to defeat   
evil," Mercury said, working hard to make sense in a real conversation. "You   
saw that Moon's attack didn't kill the monster then. It would have now."  
"Well, I can understand the importance of it. Can we just go and talk to   
my fiancé to make sure that he understands the situation?" Becky asked.  
"Yes, Becky," Mercury said.  
"And could you three come with me so that I've got some credibility?"   
Becky asked.  
"I guess we can do that," Mercury said. The four descended the fire   
escape to go to her car.  
"You know, it might be a good idea if you three changed clothes," Becky   
said to Mercury. "It's not the best idea to be going around in such outlandish   
outfits in this city."  
Mercury passed this suggestion on to Mars and Moon. "What do you think?"   
Mercury asked.  
"I don't think that it's a good idea," Mars said. "We barely know this   
woman, how do we know that we can trust her with our secret?"  
"Oh, come on, Raye! She seems nice enough. I doubt that she'd do   
anything that'd hurt us," Moon said.  
"Rena, I'm with Raye on this one," Mercury said. "We just met her, and we   
have no idea what she's really like. We only know that she wants her engagement   
ring back, and she has no reason to believe us other than that we say so. I   
think that the best way to work this one would be to keep her ring and go with   
her still in Sailor form. I'd think that any leverage she gets on us would be a   
bad thing for us." Mercury turned back to Becky. "We'll stay this way,   
thanks."  
"Suit yourself," Becky replied, leading the way to her car in a nearby   
parking deck. A few minutes later, they were on their way to Becky's apartment   
in her small, crowded, green car. When Becky stopped at a stop light, the   
silence became too monotonous for her liking. She tried starting a   
conversation. "So, where is home for you guys?"  
"We're from Tokyo," Mercury replied.  
"In Japan?!" Becky exclaimed.  
"Yes, in Japan," Mercury said patiently. She hated when people reacted   
like that with an obvious statement. Becky leaned over to Mercury.  
"Hey, why don't your friends talk?" Becky asked Mercury quietly.  
"They haven't done good in English at home," Mercury said. "They don't   
know how to study, even though I've tried teaching them. They talk a lot when   
we're home."  
Becky decided to let it drop and nervously drive on. This was an   
extremely dangerous situation to be in. Then again, these people had just saved   
her life, and probably a fair many other people's, as well. She'd play along   
with them until she was completely sure of what to think, and until Tom knew   
what was going on, as well.  
  
Rubeus stood, watching through a mirror as the Sailor Scouts got into a   
car with the woman who had held the Moon brat's crystal. "These Scouts are   
getting stronger by the minute," Rubeus said. "But it's not like they're going   
to win. I've still got a few trump cards up my sleeves. I've gotten one   
crystal, and that will give my new droids the power to take back the rest of   
them!"  
"It was a very good job, taking the Venus crystal, Rubeus," said Emerald   
from behind him. "So, why not the other ones?"  
"It was the Sailor-" Rubeus objected,  
"That's the story of your life, isn't it?" Emerald asked Rubeus. "And if   
it doesn't change soon, it'll be the story of the end of your life. Prince   
Diamond is getting very impatient with what you haven't achieved, and he won't   
wait for much longer."  
"And he won't have to wait for much longer!" Rubeus returned. "I'll be   
destroying those Sailor Scouts with the crystal that I've gotten! As soon as   
I've finished my newest and most powerful droid, they'll wish that they had   
never crossed me!"  
"Well, have fun with your personal vendetta," Emerald said. "If I see you   
again, then most probably it will be to kill you." She teleported away with a   
strident laugh that almost made Rubeus shiver.  
"Gods, I hate her," Rubeus muttered to himself as he returned to the Droid   
chamber. His creation was almost complete; it was practicing in the combat   
range at that very moment. It had killed three of the powered-up Scouts and was   
toying with the other three. He enjoyed watching his creations work against the   
simulations. It was his only refuge from reality and the scoffs of the Sailor   
Scouts. He had worked out a schedule and taped the matches to watch for his own   
enjoyment. He grinned as he walked to the range to retrieve his secret weapon   
for a tune-up.  
  
Becky parked the car as closely as she could to her apartment building.   
The rest of the car ride had been quiet for the most part. A few times, the two   
in the back seat, Moon and Mars had gotten into fights, which had promptly been   
broken up by Mercury. She still had to figure out the names of the three so   
that she could at least try to communicate with them. Plus, it might in some   
way help Tom to work through it. She thought that she remembered having skimmed   
over something about teenage super-heroines in Japan on the covers of the   
tabloids while she was standing in the supermarket checkout line. She had just   
laughed at the time, but it seemed a bit more than tabloid trash at the moment.   
What would be next, Tom bringing home the Bat-boy?  
"Becky? Why are you stopped?" Mercury asked.  
"Well, this is where I live," Becky said. "Come upstairs with me, and you   
can meet my fiancé, Tom. We'll run this whole thing by him before we go through   
with it. I want him to know that I have a good reason to give away the   
engagement ring that he gave me."  
"Thank you so much," Mercury said. "You have no idea how much better it   
makes us feel to have your permission about this."  
"Well, I guess it's nice to know that I'm doing something to better the   
world," Becky said. She led the three Sailor Scouts up to the fifth floor of   
the building. She lived in apartment 510, a fairly large apartment (or, at   
least, larger than Lita's apartment). As the four walked in, it was around   
about noon time.  
"Can we have some food? I'm getting hungry!" Moon asked.  
"Serena, this is someone else's house! You don't just ask for someone   
else's food when you don't know them!" Mars scolded.  
"Becky? Is that you?" a man called from the other room.  
"I'm in here, Tom!" Becky called back. "I need to talk to you about   
something really quick, dear!" Tom walked into the room and caught the eyes of   
Moon and Mars. He was tall, with black hair and perfect skin. The two could   
only describe him as extremely hunky. Mercury, sensing this, felt glad that she   
was doing all the talking. They filled him in on the situation and posed the   
question to him.  
"Tom, they saved my life," Becky said. "Shouldn't we give them the   
crystal to save the world?"  
"Well, it does seem reasonable to me," Tom replied. "You say you saw them   
transform?"  
"Yes, I saw Ms. Moon over there transform," Becky replied. "Although I   
was knocked out for a fair amount of the battle, I saw the last few minutes of   
it. They seem to be real, as far as I can tell. I doubt they'd have gone this   
far without hurting me or you if it wasn't real. This isn't the sort of thing   
that you could stage."  
"I suppose that it's okay with me, then," Tom said. "Now, we'll just have   
to worry about what to tell everybody else."  
"Thank you so much," Mercury said. "You have no idea what this means to   
us! I have no way of thanking you!"  
"Yes, well, good luck in saving the world, I suppose," Tom replied.  
The three Sailor Scouts walked out of the apartment building after   
thanking the two a few more times. They walked out to the alleyway and   
teleported back to meet the others in Nassau.  
  
They reappeared in the warmer weather of Nassau, and Sailor Moon instantly   
reverted and was gone. "We need to find the others! Serena, get back here!"   
Mars exclaimed, reverting.  
"Raye, let her have some fun," Amy said. "She's got her communicator, so   
we can call her when we get ready to go. In the meantime, we should call them   
and find out where they are. Even I want a rest." Raye took out her   
communicator and pressed the button to contact Mina, Lita, and Michael.  
"Hey, guys! Are you there?" Raye asked into the communicator.  
A few moments later, Michael called back, "Yeah, we're here."  
"Where are you guys?" Raye asked.  
"We're on the beach, and we're ready to go," Michael replied.  
"What do you mean?" Raye asked. "You don't want to stay and have some   
fun?"  
"We had a bit of a tough fight," Michael replied. "I'll explain when we   
get there." A short walk later, everyone sat on the sidewalk near where they   
had originally shown up.  
"You were turned into a fish?" Amy asked Mina.  
"Yeah, it was pretty bad," Mina said. "I still feel kind of thirsty. But   
at least we got Lita's crystal."  
"And we saved you, too," Lita said.  
"So, I'm the only one without my crystal," Mina said.  
"Don't feel bad, Mina!" Raye said. "We'll figure out a way to get it back   
from them."  
"Yeah, we're not leaving you behind for any reason," Michael said. "We   
need all the power we can get, and we aren't leaving any of our own power in the   
hands of Rubeus."  
"Thanks, guys," Mina said, smiling.  
"Okay, so what time is it back at home?" Lita asked.  
"It's around about two A.M. in Tokyo," Amy said after working some short   
computations in her head. "We really should be heading back home."  
"Serena's not back yet. We can't leave without her," Mina said.  
"I can solve that," Amy said, taking out her communicator. She gave   
Serena a call and told her to meet them where they had teleported in.  
"And don't take all day, or we'll leave you here," Raye said before Amy   
closed the channel.  
"Maybe we can all come back some other time, when we're not fighting   
monsters and not taking tests," Lita said.  
"Well, maybe," Michael replied. "If Luna ever loosens her hold on us.   
We'll come back and spend some time on the beach. Maybe we can go snorkeling or   
something."  
"Hey, guys, why can't we stay longer?" Serena asked. "I could have been   
doing some shopping while I was waiting for you!"  
"With what? You don't have any American money," Raye said.  
"No, but it's nice to window-shop," Serena said. "This jewelry is so   
beautiful around here!"  
"And worth only a quarter of what they charge," Michael pointed out. "And   
so shoddily made that they break the fifth time that you wear them."  
"But that's beside the point," Serena said. "They're beautiful! Almost   
as beautiful as the jewelry that Molly's mom sells!"  
"Trust me, Serena, it's not worth your time or money," Michael replied.   
"And besides, look at me and Mina. Do we look like anyone who should be staying   
away from Tokyo for any longer than we have to?"  
"I guess not," Serena replied disconsolately. "What happened to you guys,   
anyway?"  
"I was turned into a fish, and he had an unpleasant meeting with a shark's   
tooth," Mina replied. Serena looked at them, confused.  
"I just don't want to know, do I?" Serena asked. Lita nodded in   
agreement.  
"Look, let's just get out of here quickly," Michael insisted. The Scouts   
walked over to the alleyway, transformed and teleported back to Tokyo, aiming   
for the top of Lita's apartment building.  
  
They appeared on the top of the building in Tokyo a few moments later.   
The scenery around them was that of peace. There was little noise coming from   
the sparse traffic of the extremely early morning. The lights of distant   
buildings and closer ones shone brightly, making it seem like twilight around   
them.  
Michael yawned. "Let's go downstairs and get some sleep," he said. "I'm   
really tired."  
"We should get something for that cut before we do anything else," Lita   
said. "I've got a first-aid kit in my apartment. It should have something to   
help us. And some clean cloth for dressing can be arranged. Anything else   
we'll need, Amy?"  
"Well, we'll see when we get down there," Amy replied as they walked down   
the stairs to the floor with Lita's apartment. They unlocked the door and   
walked in to find Jennifer reading on the couch.  
"Welcome back, everyone!" she said. "What took you so long? I was   
starting to get worried."  
"We've had a rough night," Lita said, leading Michael into the bathroom,   
where she kept the first-aid kit. Amy followed closely behind to supervise and   
offer assistance.  
"I can tell from the blood stains on Michael," Jennifer replied. "So,   
tell me all about it! It gets boring around here without anyone around." Mina   
went on to relate the problems that they had experienced with droid   
Chondrichthes, followed by Raye relating the quest for Moon's crystal. "A   
woman's wedding ring? That must have been tough."  
"Well, the droid wasn't that fun for us, either," Raye said.  
"I can imagine," Jennifer said. "Was anyone hurt in that one, either?"  
"Only a few minor shocks to the system," Raye replied. "A few bruises,   
but nothing worse than that."  
"Good. I wouldn't want you to get hurt, Raye," Jennifer said. Raye   
blushed slightly at her mother's coddling. She was glad that Serena had already   
gone to sleep, otherwise she might have had to kill her.  
In the bathroom, Lita was dressing Michael's wound. "Thanks, Lita," he   
said. "And you, too, Amy."  
"Any time," Lita said. "I just hope I don't have to do it again."  
"You're not the only one," Michael said. "That alcohol stings."  
"Which would you rather have, a minor, stinging sensation or a painful   
infection?" Amy asked.  
"Good point," Michael replied.  
"We were lucky that I had any around," Lita said. "And then, we were   
lucky that I had enough for your wound."  
"Now, how do I explain this to my parents if they notice it?" Michael   
wondered. "Maybe I killed a wild boar with my bare hands."  
"Right, the same way that I'm the Princess of the Moon Kingdom," Lita   
replied, laughing.  
"Well, I'm going to go to bed now," Amy said, yawning. She walked out to   
go to the room that had been set up for everyone.  
"Thanks for the help, Amy!" Lita said through the doorway.  
"And thank you again, Lita," Michael replied. "I had a good time today."  
"So did I," Lita replied. "Maybe next time, we'll have enough time to   
have some fun. And the others will be there, which'll be even more fun!"  
"Yeah," Michael replied. "You did a great job in the fight tonight. I   
love those new powers of yours."  
"Yeah, but I think I've got more than that," Lita replied. "You know how   
everyone's had a big attack and a small attack? Well, those were only my small   
attacks today. I was holding back because you were in the way, and I couldn't   
have used the big attacks without hurting you."  
"Thanks again, I suppose," Michael said. He wasn't sure of what to do   
then. Earlier, she had hugged him. Should he return the favor? Should he try   
kissing her? He decided to let it be and see what she did. She stood up and   
walked to the door.  
"Let's get some sleep," Lita said.  
"Yeah, that's a good idea," Michael said. "I'm aching all over. So,   
where's my blanket? I'm calling dibs on the couch!"  
"Well, if you insist, but the others are sleeping in my room on the couch   
cushions," Lita said.  
"Hmph," Michael said. The others were still talking in the living room,   
so he had a good chance of getting a comfortable cushion. When he walked into   
the bedroom, Serena had already taken all of the cushions and piled them under   
herself. She dozed happily, clutching the pillow that she had taken and calling   
quietly to Darien. Michael tried pulling a cushion out from under her and   
received a slap across the face from Serena, still asleep. Lita laughed quietly   
at this. "Come on, drop it!" he hissed, trying not to awaken her. He grabbed   
for the cushion again and pulled harder, only to realize that in her tossing and   
turning, she had latched on harder to it. He abandoned his quest for that   
cushion and began to focus his attention on one that was closer to her feet. He   
was rewarded in this with the cushion and a clumsy kick to the face.  
He grabbed one of the blankets that Lita had laid out and covered himself.   
He wished that he could be up on the comfortable bed with Lita, but he figured   
that not many of them would consider it kosher at all. He fell asleep, hoping   
that he didn't talk in his sleep like he had been told about by his parents and   
friends.  
  
End Part 5  
  
Well, not much longer to go in this series. In one more part, I will finish   
this one and move on to different projects. It should be really fun doing some   
of the projects I've got cooking up right now, I think. As usual, contact me   
at:  
  
jmh6187@uncwil.edu 


	6. Hunters or Hunted?

Missing Crystals  
Part 6: Hunters or Hunted?  
  
By: M.H. Torringjan  
  
Okay, this should be the last part of this particular series, since   
everyone will have their crystals, and they won't be missing crystals anymore.   
Makes sense, doesn't it? I've got more plans for Michael, so if you like him,   
then you're in luck. If you don't, then my apologies. So there. :-)  
As usual, I don't own Sailor Moon. Naoko Takeuchi does. I did create the   
characters of Jennifer Hino and Michael Cross/Sailor Europa. I did not create   
any other random products that may be mentioned in the course of this fanfic.   
They were most probably created by their respective creators. Makes sense,   
doesn't it?  
  
The next morning (or later that night, whichever is more appropriate for   
5:00 a.m.), Lita awoke to the sound of Serena snoring. She sat up in her bed   
and looked around at the others lying on the floor, who were still asleep. She   
didn't know how they could sleep with that racket going on right beside their   
ears. She was startled to hear Michael talking from where he lay.  
"Hey, Lita," Michael said quietly.  
"Yeah, Mike?" she replied just as quietly.  
"Want to go out to a movie?" he asked.  
"Well, I guess-"   
"I hear there's a good one playing in Madrid right now. Let's fly there   
right now!" He must have been sleep talking. Lita shook her head. She'd never   
be able to get back to sleep with all that going on at the same time. She   
quietly slipped out of bed and into the doorway, closing the door softly so as   
not to disturb anyone. The hallway light was already on and the shower running,   
indicating that Jennifer was already up and getting ready for work. Lita walked   
into the kitchen and sat down at the table. She'd wait a few minutes before   
starting up breakfast. Until then, she'd just lay her head down on the table   
and try to get a little bit more sleep.  
She felt herself being shaken awake by someone. She opened her eyes and   
looked at Jennifer, who was still damp from her shower.  
"Morning, Lita!" she said. "Is the table really that comfortable?"  
"Well, it's more comfortable than that bedroom," Lita replied. "I can't   
sleep over Serena's snoring and Michael's talking."  
"Wow, two in one place? I'm surprised you slept so long!" Jennifer   
replied. "Here, why don't you go and take my bed while I work on some   
breakfast?"  
"No, I'll be all right," Lita said. "I'll get the breakfast done. You've   
got work!"  
"And you've got a test," Jennifer replied sternly.  
"How'd you find out about that?" Lita asked.  
"Amy mentioned it to me last night before she went to bed," Jennifer said.   
"Now, like I said, go and get some more rest and I'll call you when it's ready."   
Lita grudgingly walked off to Jennifer's room, laid down in her bed and shut her   
eyes, hoping to get some more sleep.  
  
A little while later, Michael woke up and blinked his eyes. He grumbled   
as he looked at Serena, tossing and turning on her pile of cushions. The others   
had tried taking some, as well, waking him up each time they had tried and been   
kicked by Serena. They had ended up using the other blankets as pillows and   
cushions. Michael stood up and folded his blanket. Looking over at the clock   
on the bedside table, he saw that it was almost 7:00. They'd have to be getting   
out for school soon. As he walked out of the bedroom, the smell of breakfast   
being cooked caught his attention. He walked into the kitchen to see what was   
on.  
"Morning, Jennifer!" he said.  
"Good morning, Michael!" Jennifer said. "Have a nice rest?"  
"Yes, but hardly long enough," Michael replied.  
"Well, you'll have a nice, warm breakfast in just a couple of minutes,"   
Jennifer said. "Do you think that you could get the others up? Lita's in my   
room, and you know where the others are."  
"Sure, I'll get them up," Michael replied, walking back out. He would   
take great pleasure in waking Serena up. He might make it a bit violent, just   
so as to startle her. Then again, he doubted that a Negaverse monster attacking   
would wake her up. He decided to get Lita first. He quietly opened the door to   
Jennifer's room, trying not to unnecessarily disturb her. He walked over to the   
bed and shook her shoulder.  
She opened her eyes and muttered, "Go away. I'm still tired."  
"Well, good morning to you, too," Michael replied. "Come on, get up.   
It's almost time for breakfast and school."  
"Five more minutes, please," Lita said, turning over. "It's a very   
comfortable bed."  
Michael decided not to comment on the subject. "I'm sure it is, but you   
don't have time to play around." After a few moments without her moving, he   
yanked the blankets off of the bed and out of her hands.  
"All right, I'm up," Lita said, moving slowly. "But you're remaking the   
bed."  
"I'm supposed to be getting the others up," Michael said.  
"I'll take care of it," Lita said. She walked out of the room and down   
the hallway to her room. She opened the door and turned on the overhead light.   
Serena groaned and turned over, covering her head with the blanket. "This is   
going to be fun," Lita said to herself. She walked over to the pile of blankets   
and pillows where the others were laying, half-asleep and set about her task of   
waking them up. "Wake up," she began half-heartedly.  
"I'm awake," Amy said. "I'm just working on adjusting to the light."  
"Yeah, I'm up, too," Raye said, throwing off the blankets and walking out   
of the room.  
"What time is it?" Mina asked from under her blanket.  
"It's seven o'clock," Lita replied.  
"I thought there wasn't supposed to be any jet lag when we teleported,"   
Mina complained.  
"There isn't," Amy replied. "We just got to sleep at almost two in the   
morning." Amy sat up and blinked her eyes. She deemed herself sufficiently   
adjusted and walked out.  
"Yeah, that would do it," Mina said. She noted the state that her hair   
was in. "Do you have a hair-brush that I can use, Lita?"  
"Yeah, over there on the desk," she replied as she struggled to rouse   
Serena from her semi-catatonic state. "Wake up, Serena," Lita said impatiently.  
"Go 'way, Luna. I'm tired," Serena said, turning over onto her stomach.   
Lita got fed up and yanked the blanket off of her, taking the idea from Michael.  
"Too bad," Lita replied.  
"Oh, Lita, it's you," Serena said. She sat up on the cushions and   
stretched. Her hair had been let down the night before, leaving it in a worse   
mess than Mina's. "What's up?"  
"Your time," Lita replied. "We've got to get ready for school. And if   
you don't hurry, then you won't have time to get breakfast." The thought of   
missing breakfast was certainly enough to get Serena moving. She grabbed the   
hairbrush that Mina had just finished with and started putting her hair back in   
the usual meatball style. Lita walked out of her bedroom and into the kitchen,   
where the others were already eating their breakfasts She joined them and   
quickly finished off a plate of her own before getting ready to go to school.  
  
Rubeus looked over his "perfect weapon." He had programmed this one like   
those of the past, only there was no weak point on this one. He had been an   
idiot to paint that symbol on his Droid Juggernaut. It had gotten the work   
done, but he had completely lost it in one battle all because he had some ironic   
decoration fetish. Luckily, he was over it now, and he would get on with his   
life. Droid Nil would more than make up for the mistakes of the past.  
"Now, Droid Nil, you know what you are to do, correct?" Rubeus asked.  
"Of course, My Lord! I am to return the crystals to you quickly and   
efficiently," Nil said.  
"And kill the Sailor Scouts while you're at it!" Rubeus commanded. "The   
best time and place to do this would be in the middle of the day, while they're   
in class. Put them in a situation where they'd be hard-pressed to defend   
themselves."  
"That makes sense, My Lord," Nil replied.  
"If you don't return successful, then don't return at all!" Rubeus said.  
"Don't worry about that, my lord, I won't fail you," Nil said as it   
stepped through the mirror to teleport to Earth.  
"You had better not," Rubeus replied to himself. "I used that crystal as   
your power source. If you can't beat them, I may have to do the job   
personally."  
  
Lita, Serena, Michael, and Amy walked down the street towards Crossroads   
Junior High School a little bit later than they would have liked. Lita had   
insisted on making quick lunches for everyone to make up for her not cooking   
breakfast. Serena hadn't objected, and everyone else had assumed that they had   
they time. Almost certainly, Raye had been late getting to school, and Mina was   
probably running down the sidewalk at that very moment.  
"You know, last night was fun," Lita said. "Well, other than being woken   
up by Serena and Michael's big mouths, I mean."  
"What big mouth?" Michael asked.  
"You talk in your sleep," Lita replied.  
"Man, I had hoped that I was over that by now," Michael replied, blushing.   
"What did I talk about?"  
"I didn't hear much, other than you asking me to go with you to a movie,"   
Lita said.  
"Yes, I heard it once, as well," Amy replied. "When Serena woke me up   
while tossing and turning."  
"Sorry, guys, I'm a heavy sleeper," Serena replied.  
"I'm know," Michael replied. "I tried taking a cushion from under you."  
"And you lived to tell the tale?" Lita asked.  
"It was only slightly painful, really," Michael replied. "It mostly hurt   
my pride. But I woke up to your tossing, turning, and snoring, too, Serena."  
"Come on, it's like I don't get enough of that from Luna," Serena said.   
For a few more moments, they walked in silence.  
"I really like having you guys around on the walk to school," Lita   
continued. "It's really lonely and quiet otherwise."  
"I usually use the time to collect my bearings and think," Michael   
replied. "I'm not always a ball of fun to be around. Some might even call me   
boring when I'm walking around alone."  
"You? Boring?" Lita asked. "That'd be the day. Why don't I believe it?"  
"No, really! It's almost like an actor before he goes onto a stage,   
making sure he has his lines memorized," Michael replied. "Although I don't   
know exactly what I'm going to say, I'm in perfect shape to handle whatever's   
thrown at me. That's when I think about others and myself. Really, I'm deeper   
than you guys might think. You saw it yourself, Lita."  
"Excuse me? What're you talking about?" Serena asked.  
"She came over to my house yesterday to do some studying for the test   
before we left," Michael said. As soon as the words had left his lips, he knew   
that he had said the wrong thing.  
"She went over to your house? To study? A likely story. Are you two not   
telling me something?" Serena asked in her sing-song voice.  
"No, Serena," Lita replied. "There's nothing between us. We're just   
friends."  
"That's what they all say," Serena said. "And what's your side of the   
story, Mike?"  
Michael paused. He wasn't sure how to respond to the question. This was   
the one thing that he hadn't thought he'd be asked so soon. He decided to play   
it safe. "Just like she said."  
"That would be the exact response that one would give when he's hiding   
something," Serena accused.  
"Serena, I can assure you that nothing is happening between us, and that   
if anything does happen between us, then you'll be the first to know," Lita   
replied. Michael smiled at the statement; it was a good sign for him.  
"All right, you're off the hook this time," Serena said. "But I'm keeping   
my eyes on you two."  
"All right, officer, we'll try to behave," Michael said. The school was   
in sight, and there wasn't much time until the final bell would ring and they   
would be late. Michael, Serena, Amy, and Lita ran the rest of the way to their   
classes. Lita sat down just as the bell rang, calling her class to order. She   
wasn't really ready to take this test, but she kind of had to. She hoped that   
she could remember everything that Michael had gone over with her the night   
before. As the teacher was passing out the tests, she thought back to what   
Serena had been saying. She quickly pushed it back into the back of her mind so   
that she could concentrate on her test. She'd think about Serena's weird ideas   
later on.  
Michael, Amy, and Serena ran in their class with a few moments to spare.   
Michael wanted to ask Amy about something. "Amy, we aren't finished with our   
mission, are we?"  
"I doubt it," Amy said. "They've still got Mina's crystal. I'd expect   
that they're going to come back and try to get ours, as well. We've got to get   
the crystal out of their hands so that Mina has her power-up and so that they   
don't have any leverage on us."  
"And we've got to take down Rubeus himself," Michael replied.  
"Well, of course," Amy said. "That's a given."  
"Well, I hope that's as easily done as said," Michael said. He sat down   
in his place beside Serena and got out his books.  
"So, Michael, you've got a little something for Lita?" Serena said.  
"Oh, for pete's sake, will you let it drop?" Michael replied.  
"Not until I get a straight answer out of you," Serena said. Michael was   
getting tired of this.  
"I'm only going by what Lita says," Michael replied.  
"Then you do," Serena replied. "I may not be the best of judges about   
other things, but I do know about this."  
"All right, if you must know, then I am attracted to Lita," Michael   
sighed. "However, this will not leave your lips. Correct?"  
"They're sealed," Serena said. "Doesn't it feel better to just tell   
someone?"  
"Not particularly," Michael grumbled. Ms. Haruna walked in, carrying a   
pile of books.  
"No, Michael, these are not the books that I've confiscated from you,"   
she began with a chuckle. "We're going to be reading different selections of   
poetry for our literature class. Now, I want everyone to come up here and take   
a book. I've marked a couple of selections from each for you to read."  
Michael looked out of the window into the courtyard. Something looked odd   
outside, and he had a bad feeling. "Ms. Haruna, may I be excused for a minute?   
It's an emergency."  
"Michael, you had all before class to take care of whatever it was," Ms.   
Haruna replied.  
"I got here just before the bell, so I didn't really," Michael replied.  
"And that's probably because you got up later than you should have," Ms.   
Haruna replied. "How many times must I lecture you about this? If you have   
more stuff to do in the mornings, then you should get up earlier. It's not   
going to do you any harm! As a matter of fact, it would probably do you some   
good! I'm sure that you all have-"  
"Ma'am, I'm sure that we could take your idea, but we're just not   
interested to hear it," Michael said. If he wasn't getting out of that room one   
way, then he'd do it in another. He'd just get a stern talking to, since it was   
his first offense. Right?  
"What did you just say, Michael?" Ms. Haruna asked in her quiet, angry   
voice.  
"I said that we should maybe get on with the lesson, since no one wants to   
hear you rant," Michael replied. Amy and Serena looked shocked at him. Then   
again, the whole class did.  
"Michael, what are you doing?!" Serena asked quietly.  
"Trust me, I know what I'm doing," Michael replied just as quietly.  
"Michael, do you have something to say to me?" she asked. "Something   
along the lines of an apology?"  
"No, not really," Michael replied. "I'm just really anxious to get on   
with this literature, and I'd rather read poetry than hear you rant."  
"Well, maybe I'd rather rant than have you read poetry," Ms. Haruna said.  
"That's interesting," Michael said. "Do your bosses know about that? I'm   
sure they'd be really interested to know about it."  
Mrs. Haruna simmered for a minute. "Michael, go outside now! I will be   
out there to talk to you a little bit later!" Ms. Haruna said. Michael shrugged   
and walked through the doorway. He closed the door behind him and tried   
listening through the door to what they were talking about. As he had expected,   
Ms. Haruna had gone on with her spiel. A few moments later, someone in the   
class screamed as the windows broke. He ran outside quickly to transform.  
"Europa Power Transformation!"  
In the classroom, Serena and Amy had been cornered by the creature.   
Melvin, showing an odd moment of bravery ran at Droid Nil, wielding a chair.  
"Don't hurt my friends, you monster!" he screamed just before being   
flicked away by the droid.  
"Now, Sailor Scouts, give me your crystals!" the droid exclaimed,   
returning its attention to Amy and Serena.  
"Really, you've got the wrong girls," Serena lied.  
"Yeah, we're not Sailor Scouts!" Amy added.  
"Oh, really? Then you probably won't mind if I beat you into a pulp   
anyway, will you?" Droid Nil asked, picking Serena up above her head and   
preparing to throw her through the broken windows.  
"Europa Earth Spike!" Europa exclaimed, raising a large chunk of earth   
from the school ground and shooting it towards the droid just as it threw   
Serena. He rushed to where Serena would land and jumped in her path. The two   
landed with a thud on the ground.  
"You all right, Rena?" he asked.  
"Yeah, I'm fine," Serena replied. "You're fast, aren't you?"  
"I've just got good reflexes. You may have to sit this one out, or else   
they'll figure out that this guy isn't bluffing," Europa said.  
"But you can't take this guy on your own!" Serena exclaimed.  
"Well, I can give it the old college go," Europa replied. "Makes sense   
that it'd go for the one who's attacking it. I'll see if I can lure it away   
from here, and then maybe I can do something with it." He looked back at the   
droid. "So, droids have taken to mistaking identities? I thought that you were   
a bit smarter than that."  
"Nice try, Sailor Brat, but not good enough," the droid replied. "I'll   
take care of you, then I'll finish the others off!"  
"I wouldn't say that," Sailor Jupiter called as she ran around the corner.  
"Nice to see you, Jupiter!" Europa said.  
"Man, this guy interrupted my test! And I was on a roll, too!"  
"Well, we've all got bigger problems right now, Jupiter," Europa replied.   
Jupiter took out her sword and took an attack stance. She ran towards the droid   
and swung as hard as she could with her sword. She stumbled forward as the   
sword went through the droid and struck the ground.  
"Okay, that didn't work as well as I had hoped," Jupiter said. She jumped   
back to beside Europa.  
"We've got to get her out of here," Europa said.  
"No, this is the best place to fight her," Jupiter replied. "It's wide   
open, and I can use my big attack. I assume that you can, too."  
"Yeah, but I doubt that here is the right place to use my big attack,"   
Europa said.  
"Well, then, don't!" Jupiter exclaimed. "Jupiter Tornado twist!" she   
exclaimed. A funnel of air formed around the droid, intended to pick her up   
into the air and drop her. The figure of the droid stayed planted on the   
ground, however. "Man! What is this guy?!"  
"Let me try something," Europa said. "Europa Invisibility!" he exclaimed.   
He faded from sight walking towards the droid.  
"Ha, running from a battle! What a coward!" Droid Nil exclaimed, leveling   
her sights on Jupiter. "Now, for you!" The droid ran towards Jupiter, ready to   
attack. It threw a punch at Jupiter, who held up her sword to block the attack.   
The droid's fist struck the sword on the flat side, throwing it across the   
school-yard.  
"Hey, no fair!" Jupiter exclaimed as she returned the punch, which went   
through the droid and left her off-balance. The Droid took her chance to hit   
Jupiter on the back of the head and pick her up by the neck.  
"Now, show these people your true form and give me the crystal," Nil   
exclaimed. "Or else I'll kill you."  
"You'll probably kill me anyway," Jupiter replied in a wispy voice through   
gritted teeth.  
"That's a good point," Nil said. "Ah, the advantages of selective   
solidity. Your friend's crystal really is a good source of energy."  
"You're using Mina's crystal?!" Jupiter exclaimed.  
"Yes, and it feels so good," Nil replied. "Now, give me your crystal!"  
"Never!" Jupiter said. The hand around her throat began to tighten.   
Jupiter opened her mouth, struggling to breathe, scream, anything. She felt a   
shock delivered to the droid's arm and she fell to the ground, able to breathe.   
She looked up and saw her sword seemingly floating in midair. The droid's arm   
laid beside her, unmoving.  
"Sorry I took so long," Europa said from where he stood with the sword in   
hand. "Didn't want her noticing me." He dropped the sword and moved quickly to   
get Jupiter away from the droid. "You all right?"  
"Well, other than being out of breath and some bruises later, I'm fine,"   
Jupiter replied.  
"You!" he exclaimed, pointing at Amy. "Please take care of her for a   
minute!" Amy and Serena rushed to take Jupiter from the field, only to be   
stopped by the droid.  
"Don't think you're getting off that easily!" it said, shooting a beam   
that formed a cage around the three. "I'll deal with you later." She turned   
away from the cage to look for Europa and to tend to her arm. Suddenly, she   
doubled over in pain, as though she had been punched. She wrapped her arms   
around Europa's arms and flipped him over. He landed with a thud on the ground.   
The droid reared back to land a final blow to Europa. It was about to drop its   
arms when a rose flew across its face and bounced a few inches from the ground.  
"OUCH!" Europa exclaimed.  
"Sorry! Can't see you to aim," Tuxedo Mask exclaimed. "I believe you   
have something that belongs to us."  
"It belongs to Master Rubeus," Nil replied. "And so will all of theirs in   
a few moments!"  
"Only if you get through me!" Tuxedo Mask said, taking out his cane and a   
few more roses.  
"That should be easy enough," Nil said. She ran towards Tuxedo Mask,   
pulling back a fist and powering up an energy blast. While the monster was   
distracted with combating Tuxedo Mask, Europa returned Jupiter's sword to her.  
"Jupiter Holy Sword, please lend me the strength to defeat this enemy!"   
Jupiter prayed. The sword flew silently and sliced the monster when it was   
paying attention to Tuxedo Mask. A moment later, all that remained of it was a   
pile of dust and a crystal, presumably Mina's.  
"Thank goodness you got here when you did," Europa said to Tuxedo Mask.  
"You're lucky that I wasn't too busy to get away from what I was doing,"   
Tuxedo Mask replied. "Is Jupiter okay?"  
"She's fine," Serena replied. "She's lucky that Michael was there to help   
her out then."  
"Let's get her out of here," Europa said. Tuxedo Mask grabbed Mina's   
crystal and bounded away in his usual manner. Europa walked Lita away from the   
scene of the battle and watched to make sure that they weren't followed. The   
two found a safe place to revert and did so.  
"You all right, Lita?" Michael asked. "Can you go back to class?"  
"I think that I'll be okay," Lita replied. "Are you all right?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine," Michael replied.  
"Good. I was afraid that something bad would have happened to you alone   
out there," Lita replied. She hugged Michael out of relief.  
"I wasn't exactly alone, you know," Michael replied. "You were there and   
Tux-boy finally came along. Is he usually that late?"  
"Yeah, it's a regular thing for him," Lita said, laughing weakly. "He   
likes his dramatic entrance."  
"I suppose I know where he's coming from," Michael said. "Now, we should   
probably be getting back to class. I had to get in trouble to get somewhere   
that I could transform, and I've got to live up to the piper, or something like   
that." The two stood up to walk back to class. "So, Lita, how'd you like to go   
to the arcade after school today?" he asked.  
"Well, I can't really swing that this afternoon," Lita said. "Maybe a   
movie this weekend."  
"That's fine with me," Michael said. They returned to class, ready to   
relax for a while.  
  
Mina was walking home from school that afternoon. She was still tired   
from the night before. She had been appropriately surprised by the surprise   
quiz that they had taken when they got in that morning.  
"Hey," called Darien from where he was leaning nonchalantly against the   
wall of a building.  
"Hi, Darien!" Mina exclaimed. She ran to him to see if he was interested   
in talking. It was nice to see someone she knew when she needed to relax. She   
had homework that night, although she really didn't feel like doing it.  
"There was a battle today at Crossroads," Darien said. "Michael, Lita and   
I took care of it, and they almost revealed our identities." He threw something   
to her, which she bobbled before getting a hold on. "We got this from the   
droid. I believe that it's yours."  
Mina looked at what he had thrown at her and realized that it was a yellow   
crystal set on a necklace. "My crystal! Wait, the battle! Is everyone okay?"  
"Lita and Michael took a couple of good hits, but it was overall an   
undamaging battle," Darien said. "Almost makes me wish that I could see Rubeus'   
face. He probably sent another one of his unbeatable droids that could kill us   
all without lifting a finger."  
A few moments of silence passed as Mina tried to decide what to say. Not   
much had gone smoothly with Darien since he had broken up with Serena. "Well,   
thanks for bringing me the crystal," she said.  
"I thought that it would be a good idea for you to get it, just in case.   
They seem to want these crystals pretty badly, and it's better if the ones who   
can use them have them," Darien replied.  
"And you don't have one of your own?" Mina asked.  
"Of course not," Darien replied. "After all, I'm just the Sailor Scouts'   
protector. I don't have a true transformation like you do."  
"Oh," Mina said. Darien began walking down the road in the opposite   
direction.  
"If you or the others need me," Darien said. "You know where I'll be."   
He walked down the road towards his home, not looking back. He had work to do.  
  
End of Missing Crystals Series  
  
Well, thanks to all those who read the whole thing. I basically wrote   
this on my own with no test readers or anything, which might explain the   
quality, if you thought that it was bad. And if you thought it was good, then   
hey, that just says something for my own talents! I found this series a bit   
difficult to write, because it deals with an untraditional series of action. I   
think that the results have turned out pretty well, though.  
As I mentioned a chapter or two back, I'm going to go on and write a   
couple of stories (one chapter long this time! I swear!) with Michael in them.   
Also, I'm going to write the counter series to ACS, which will take a   
considerably long time to polish up and make sure that it lives up to the   
quality of its predecessor. I've had the fic "A New View" sitting around on my   
computer for gods know how long and I'll finish that (I promise!). Also, I've   
got quite a few MSTings that I'm working on at the moment and lined up for the   
future.  
Of course, this will probably get posted at a slower rate over the summer   
break, since I'll be working and playing video games for the most part. I may   
even take the whole thing off, depending on how I feel.  
Well, that's all for this series. I hope that you enjoyed reading it, or   
at least did a good job MSTing it (depending). Of course, if you were MSTing   
it, I hope that I heard about it. Sure, I'm a good sport, I just want to know   
this sort of thing! :-) I'm outtie! 


End file.
